US high court rejects synagogue case

The US Supreme Court has refused to review a ruling that found it unconstitutional to bar synagogues from being built in a downtown business district. The court announced Tuesday, without further comment, that it would not hear the case testing a local regulation in a Florida town that forbids houses of worship from locating in its business district, in an effort to maximize revenue. Two synagogues sued the town, calling the ruling discriminatory, and an appeals court in Atlanta ruled the town had violated federal law because it allowed non-secular private clubs to be established downtown. An attorney for one of the synagogues said he was pleased with the ruling.