Can Religious Organizations Use Their Land w/o Government Interference? | Guest John Ketcham 5/29/26

May 29, 2026

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Episode Summary

Welcome to the Napa Legal Podcast, where we discuss religious liberty from the perspective of faith-based nonprofits. In this guest episode, Napa Legal's Senior Counsel Frank DeVito is joined by John Ketcham, Senior Fellow and Director of Cities at the Manhattan Institute. Join them for a discussion of Missionaries of St. John the Baptist v. Frederic, a case pending cert before the U.S. Supreme Court. This case can have major implications in determining whether the complaints of neighbors can overrule the rights of religious organizations to use their land for religious purposes.

In this episode, we discuss:

1:44 John's background growing up Catholic in New York City and working at the Manhattan Institute

5:56 Manhattan Institute Amicus Briefs

7:20 Missionaries of St. John the Baptist v. Frederic Amicus Brief with Napa Legal

10:08 Background of the case

14:45 RLUIPA

21:21 What would best case scenario look like?

22:40 What would worst case scenario look like?

24:00 Why should we generally be in favor of development?

28:29 Other projects by John

34:10 Conclusion

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