Laurel: Judge again rules against Prince George's in church development case - baltimoresun.com

A federal district court judge has ruled Prince George's County must once again consider the application of Reaching Hearts International for sewer service on the church's West Laurel property, saying the County Council's decision in September to grant service on only a portion of the property did not comply with an earlier court ruling.

Judge Roger Titus's opinion, handed down today, is the latest victory for the church in a long line of litigation with the county over the property, which the county has said is environmentally sensitive, where the church wants to build new facilities and a school.

Titus wrote that the county's reasons for denying a portion of the church's application were based on similar environmental arguments that were "found utterly wanting by a jury" in a 2008 case for which Titus also served as judge, in which the jury determined the county's stance constituted religious discrimination.