LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The Nebraska Supreme Court is being
asked to decide what defines a church in a case stemming from a liquor license
granted to an Omaha convenience store that was challenged by a nearby church.
The city denied the Kum & Go store a liquor license because it is within
150 feet of the House of Faith. The store then got the state Liquor Control
Commission to grant the license on grounds that the House of Faith doesn't meet
criteria for a church.
The commission says a church is "a building owned by a religious
organization used primarily for religious purposes," but House of Faith
rents space in its building.
Backing the church and city, the American Civil Liberties Union called the
commission's ruling "nonsensical, discriminatory and
unconstitutional."