Attorney General Russell Coleman is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Catholic parish in Northern Kentucky to proceed with building a small outdoor shrine. The project was halted out of concerns of how it might change the character of the neighborhood. The dispute centers on whether zoning restrictions improperly burden religious exercise under the federal Religious Land Use Act, which protects faith communities from substantial government interference. While local governments have a legitimate role in managing land use, those powers must be exercised in a way that does not unduly burden a church’s religious freedom, including freedom to worship. The case is a test as to the power of local governments and land use law as they encroach on a foundational principle found in our First Amendment free exercise of religion.