FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 10, 2026)—Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today Kentucky is leading a 14-state coalition at the United States Supreme Court to protect the religious liberties enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The Kentucky-led coalition argues an Ohio city’s actions to prevent an Orthodox Jewish man from exercising his faith in his home are unconstitutional. Daniel Grand’s religion requires he pray three times a day with a group of 10 men. However, the city of University Heights ordered him not to pray in his home with this small group unless he obtained a permit to use his home as a house of worship.
Attorney General Coleman’s brief argues that the infringement on Mr. Grand’s constitutional rights was immediate and irreparable. Government overreach of this kind is something Kentuckians know all too well from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when government orders kept the faithful out of their places of worship and out of religious schools.
The city’s assault on Mr. Grand’s constitutional rights comes at a time when antisemitism and prejudice against Jewish Americans is on the rise. Attorney General Coleman has been a strong advocate against antisemitism. In July, his Office argued at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in support of Kentucky law combatting antisemitism on college campuses. According to that law, from 2022 to 2024 there was a 200% increase in reported instances of antisemitism on American college campuses.
“The free exercise of religion is one of our most fundamental freedoms. When government uses its power to crack down on faith practices it disagrees with, courts must move with speed to protect our liberties,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Along with my AG colleagues from across the country, we will continue standing strong for the First Amendment and the faith traditions that built this country.”
The Supreme Court will hear argument in this case on December 9th with a decision expected by June 2027. Out of thousands of cases received each year, the Supreme Court only agrees to hear about 60 cases every term.
Kentucky is joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Read the brief here.