On March 2, 2017, the Town of Dudley issued the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester a permit to move forward with their plan to build a cemetery in the town — a proposal that was met with contentious opposition by some residents, prompting a year-long legal battle. WBUR's David Boeri reports:

Lawsuits and a civil rights investigation followed, until both sides came to an agreement in December. But a hearing Thursday night was the first and critical test of that agreement.

Dudley Town Administrator Greg Balukonis said the process of getting to Thursday's hearing took a long time — about a year and two months.

"The process was difficult, but in the end the zoning board of appeals did the right thing," he said.

At the hearing it was clear that much had changed since last May, when the zoning board had denied the Islamic Society a permit in that very same room.

What followed the initial denial were several legal moves: a lawsuit filed in state Land Court; an investigation by the civil rights unit of the U.S. attorney’s office; a warning from the state attorney general’s office; and the entry of the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as an outside law firm, to join the Islamic Society in a claim that Dudley officials had denied the group's right to practice their religion.

The ACLU of Massachusetts is heartened that the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester is a step closer to being able to have its cemetery close to home and that Town leaders are welcoming that development. We, along with cooperating attorney Howard Cooper, were glad to assist in ensuring that the religious liberties and civil rights of all are protected. As a pioneer for freedom in our state, the ACLU will keep doing this work.

Listen to the full story

Date

Show featured image

Hide banner image

Related issues

Show related content

Type

Menu parent dynamic listing

Show PDF in viewer on page

Style

• Read more about Islamic Society of Greater Worcester another step closer to establishing Dudley cemetery

The Boston Bar Association's blog Voices of the Bar recently asked local attorneys about their experience in the immediate aftermath of President Trump's Muslim travel ban. The ALCU of Massachusetts' legal director Matthew Segal shared what he was doing in the critical hours following the order:

“The ACLU told President Trump we would see him in court if he ordered this unconstitutional ban on Muslims, and we have. As soon as we heard about the illegal, unconstitutional, and dangerous Muslim ban, we began trying to help its victims. On Saturday, January 28, I learned from attorneys Susan Church and Kerry Doyle about U.S. lawful permanent residents who were being detained at Logan Airport. Lawyers from the ACLU of Massachusetts, Mintz Levin, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association of New England sprang into action. We hurried to draft and file a complaint, and to ask the federal court to convene an emergency hearing. The court agreed.

We all rushed to the Moakley Courthouse in Boston, and two federal judges heard our arguments in the middle of the night, in front of a courtroom packed with civil rights advocates and journalists. By the time the hearing ended, just before 2 a.m., we had historic rulings from federal courts in Boston and throughout the nation to block the ban, at least temporarily. Now we are fighting for its full repeal.”

To continue reading, click here.

Photo: Matthew Segal speaks to reporters outside the Boston federal court following the February 1st hearing on Louhghalam v. Trump, the ACLU of Massachusetts' case challenging the ban.

Date

Featured image

Show featured image

Hide banner image

Related issues

Show related content

Tweet Text

Type

Menu parent dynamic listing

Show PDF in viewer on page

Style

• Read more about How Massachusetts attorneys sprang into action following President Trump's Muslim ban