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Court Rejects Requested Injunction
May 3, 2019, New York – Today, in response to a Superior Court ruling in New Jersey that categorically rejected an injunction requested by the Ramapo Hunt and Polo Club that would have prohibited the Ramapough Lenape Nation from using their land for religious practice, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:
The requested injunction and related harassment by the Ramapo Hunt & Polo Club was a blatant attempt to force the Ramapough off sacred land they own and have used for religious practice and cultural assemblies for generations. The court correctly saw through this blatant attempt to use the legal process to target a specific group on the basis of race and religion. We look forward to pursuing further relief through our federal civil rights complaint.
The Center for Constitutional Rights represents the Ramapough in a federal lawsuit for racial and religious discrimination. The law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP serves as pro bono co-counsel in the case. Ramapough are represented in the injunction case by members of the New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. The law firm of Covington & Burling LLP serves as pro bono counsel for the Ramapough in a New Jersey Tax Court case instituted by the Ramapo Polo and Hunt Club.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.