福克斯新闻独家报道——最高法院周四同意审理肯塔基州一家教会关于在其地产上建造祈祷石窟的诉讼，此案涉及联邦土地使用法中关于何谓“实质性负担”宗教活动的争议。
FIRST ON FOX —The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a Kentucky church’s fight to build a prayer grotto on its property, taking up a dispute over what constitutes a "substantial burden" on religious exercise under federal land-use law.
代表圣施洗约翰传教士协会（Missionaries of St. John the Baptist）的第一自由研究所（First Liberty Institute）高级法律顾问瑞安·加德纳（Ryan Gardner）向福克斯新闻数字频道表示，此案的影响远不止于肯塔基州帕克希尔斯市拟建的这座天主教圣殿。
Ryan Gardner, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, which represents the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, told Fox News Digital the implications stretch far beyond the proposed Catholic shrine in Park Hills, Kentucky.
“这对宗教自由来说是一起重大案件，因为它有可能影响到全国每一项分区法，”加德纳告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
"This is a massive case for religious liberty because it has the potential to impact every single zoning law in this country," Gardner told Fox News Digital.
正统犹太教徒发起反击，称加州某城市因其在家中举行祈祷聚会而对其进行罚款。此案的核心是一个拟建的16英尺乘39英尺的石窟，法庭记录显示，该石窟将包括一座圣母玛利亚神龛、一个广场、一条步行道和一堵挡土墙。加德纳将其约600平方英尺的占地面积比作一个游泳池的大小。
ORTHODOX JEW FIGHTS BACK, SAYS CALIFORNIA CITY FINED HIM FOR HOME PRAYER MEETINGS At the center of the case is a proposed 16-by-39-foot grotto that court records say would include a shrine to the Virgin Mary, a plaza, walking path and retaining wall. Gardner compared its roughly 600-square-foot footprint to the size of a swimming pool.
该教会于2021年3月申请了有条件使用许可证和变更许可，旨在其建筑后方建造这座石窟，以纪念圣母玛利亚在法国卢尔德向圣伯纳黛特显灵。该教会建筑本身已在原地矗立了近一个世纪，早于帕克希尔斯市1974年通过的分区条例。
The church applied in March 2021 for a conditional-use permit and variance to build the grotto behind its building in honor of the Virgin Mary’s apparition to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France The church building itself has stood on the property for nearly a century, predating Park Hills’ zoning ordinance adopted in 1974.
该地产的历史比案件的简要描述要复杂一些。拟建的石窟涉及一块相邻的地块，该地块最初受一份永久租约的约束，作为项目获批的条件，该租约将被转让给该宗教组织。但加德纳表示，与许多宗教土地使用纠纷不同，该教会在本案中的最初斗争对象并非当地政府。
The property history is a bit more complicated than the case’s shorthand description may suggest. The proposed grotto involved an adjacent parcel that was initially subject to a perpetual lease that would be transferred to the religious organization as a condition of the project’s approval. But unlike many religious land-use disputes, Gardner said, the church’s initial fight in this case was not with the local government.
帕克希尔斯市调整委员会于2021年4月批准了该教会的许可证。然而，两位邻近的业主乔尔·弗雷德里克（Joel Frederic）和伊丽莎白·弗雷德里克（Elizabeth Frederic）对此表示反对，并在肯塔基州地方法院对委员会的决定提出了质疑。
The Park Hills Board of Adjustment approved the church’s permit in April 2021. Two neighboring property owners, however, Joel and Elizabeth Frederic, objected and challenged the board’s decision in Kentucky state court.
阿米什教派在纽约的疫苗接种强制令问题上与政府发生了法律纠纷，他们可能不得不“收拾行囊”离开该地区。
AMISH FACE NEW YORK VACCINE MANDATE IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, MIGHT HAVE TO ‘PACK THEIR WAGONS’ A trial court ruled in the church’s favor, but the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed, concluding the board exceeded its authority in approving the project and finding no violation of federal religious land-use law.
一家地方法院最初作出了有利于阿米什教派的裁决，但肯塔基州上诉法院推翻了这一判决，认为相关机构在批准该疫苗接种项目时超越了自身权限，并未违反联邦的宗教用地法规。2025年12月，肯塔基州最高法院维持了上诉法院的裁决，这促使阿米什教派决定向美国最高法院提出上诉。
The Kentucky Supreme Court affirmed the RLUIPA ruling in December 2025, prompting the church to seek Supreme Court review.
本案的核心是《宗教用地与机构人员保护法》（RLUIPA）——这是一项旨在保护宗教机构免受某些财产使用限制的联邦法律。
The case centers on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act known as RLUIPA, a federal law enacted to protect religious institutions from certain burdens on the use of their property.
“RLUIPA涉及美国两项至关重要的权利：宗教自由权和财产权，”加德纳在接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时说道。
"RLUIPA is at the intersection of two very critical rights in this country: the rights of religious liberty and property rights," Gardner told Fox News Digital.
阿米什教派请求最高法院审查与该法律相关的两个问题，但最高法院最终只审理了其中一个问题：即禁止宗教机构在其自有土地上建造宗教设施是否构成对该机构宗教活动的“实质性负担”。
The church asked the justices to review two questions under RLUIPA, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear only one about whether prohibiting a religious institution from building a religious structure on its own property constitutes a "substantial burden" on religious exercise under the law.
随着圣迈克尔雕像被移除（该雕像原本被放置在用于公共安全的建筑内），最高法院的裁决迫在眉睫。加德纳指出，自2000年该法律颁布以来，下级法院对该法律的解释存在差异，导致不同地区的宗教组织所获得的保护程度各不相同。他认为，现在最高法院有机会为全国范围内宗教机构的权利制定一个更加明确的标准。
SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN LOOMS OVER ST MICHAEL STATUE BLOCKED FROM PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING Gardner said lower courts have developed different approaches to the law since Congress enacted it in 2000, leaving religious organizations with different levels of protection depending on where a dispute arises. He argues the Supreme Court now has an opportunity to establish a clearer standard nationwide.
传教士们在提交给最高法院的请愿书中同样指出，联邦法院和州法院在如何根据《宗教土地使用与制度化人员法》（RLUIPA）判定土地使用限制是否构成“实质性负担”的问题上存在分歧。弗雷德里克夫妇在反对意见书中对这一说法提出异议，认为上诉法院通常会考虑相似的因素，而判决结果的差异往往反映了案件事实的不同。弗雷德里克夫妇还辩称，传教士们未能证明该祈祷洞穴没有其他可选地点。
The missionaries similarly argued in their Supreme Court petition that federal and state courts are divided over how to determine whether a land-use restriction creates a "substantial burden" under RLUIPA. The Frederics disputed that characterization in their opposition brief, arguing appellate courts generally consider similar factors and that differing outcomes can reflect differing facts. The Frederics also argued that the Missionaries failed to show that alternative locations for the grotto were unavailable.
弗雷德里克夫妇的一位代理律师未立即回应福克斯新闻数字频道的置评请求。
An attorney for the Frederics did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
此案还将两个具有宪法意义的法律领域置于对立面——宗教实践与地方政府监管财产使用的权力。
The case also puts two constitutionally significant areas of law alongside one another — religious exercise and the authority of local governments to regulate property use.
尽管加德纳承认分区规划在地方政府的组织管理中发挥着合法作用，但他认为这些法规仍须遵守联邦层面对于宗教实践的保护。他说，这个问题的影响远不止于肯塔基州的一个祈祷洞穴。
While Gardner acknowledged that zoning serves a legitimate role in how local governments organize, he argued those same regulations remain subject to federal-level protections for religious exercise. That question, he said, reaches well beyond one prayer grotto in Kentucky.
加德纳表示，最高法院的裁决可能会影响到教堂、犹太会堂、事工机构及其他寻求利用其财产进行礼拜或宗教活动的宗教组织所涉及的纠纷。他警告称，对联邦法律进行过于狭隘的解读，可能会对全国范围内的宗教土地使用产生“严重后果”。
The SCOTUS ruling could affect disputes involving churches, synagogues, ministries and other religious organizations seeking to use their properties for worship or religious activities, according to Gardner. He warned that an overly narrow interpretation of the federal law could have "dire consequences" for religious land use around the country.
然而，对于圣约翰浸信会传教士而言，这起可能影响全国宗教土地使用法律的案件，始于一个规模小得多的地方——一个面积约600平方英尺的祈祷场所。
For the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, however, the case that could shape religious land-use law across the country began with something much smaller, a roughly 600-square-foot place of prayer.