West
‘Christmas Lawyer’ eyes Supreme Court review in battle with HOA over holiday light show
The battle between a man who orchestrated massive Christmas extravaganzas and his former homeowners association could be appealed to the Supreme Court after a lower court issued its long-awaited ruling.
“It was made clear that a jury could find … that there was a hostile atmosphere created, that our family was discriminated against,” Jeremy Morris told Fox News Digital of the ruling.
Morris, an attorney, became popularly referred to as the “Christmas Lawyer” after gaining international notoriety for throwing a five-day holiday light show that drew thousands of revelers to his former home just outside of Hayden, Idaho.
In 2017, a jury unanimously agreed that his HOA discriminated against him on the basis of religion by trying to stop his Christmas show. But in a stunning twist, a federal judge reversed that verdict and ordered Morris to pay the HOA more than $111,000 in legal fees.
Jeremy Morris gained international fame after his former homeowners association tried to stop him from putting on an extravagant Christmas celebration at his family’s house. Almost a decade later, the ensuing court battle still isn’t over. (Courtesy Jeremy Morris)
‘CHRISTMAS LAWYER’ WHO WENT TO WAR WITH HIS HOA IS NOW FACING ANOTHER FIGHT — THE IDAHO STATE BAR
Morris challenged the ruling in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard arguments in June 2020. Four years later, a three-judge panel ruled in the HOA’s favor in part and in Morris’ favor in part, teeing the case up for a new jury trial.
But Morris said he is “absolutely” considering appealing to the Supreme Court first.
How the Christmas light fight began
Morris made an offer on his house just after throwing his inaugural light show at his previous home over Christmas 2014.
He informed the West Hayden Estates homeowners association that he planned to repeat the event and the HOA immediately tried to squash the Christmas display, arguing it would likely violate three sections of the community’s covenants, conditions and restrictions. The event would be too big, too noisy and too bright, the board wrote in a letter sent to Morris in January 2015.
Crucially, the letter also pondered whether “non-Christians” would be bothered by the display and expressed concerns that the show would draw “possible undesirables” to the neighborhood.
Morris wrote back, arguing that there was nothing applicable to his event in the CC&Rs and that the board was engaging in religious discrimination. His family closed on the house and moved in.
The HOA board sent this letter to Jeremy Morris in January 2015, outlining rules they believed his Christmas display would violate and worrying that residents who were “non-Christians” might object to the program. ( )
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When Morris started decking his house with around 200,000 individual lights that fall, the HOA’s attorney sent him a letter threatening legal action if he hosted the event without approval from the board.
The show went on anyway. Costumed characters, musicians, a children’s choir, a live nativity scene and even a camel greeted spectators. Morris rented shuttle buses to carry visitors to the event, and volunteers directed cars through the streets around the house, according to court documents.
Tensions grew leading up to the Morris family’s next show. Neighbors were accused of harassing spectators. A bus driver said one resentful resident repeatedly tried to stage an accident when shuttles passed by. Morris said his family received threats, including an in-person confrontation partially caught on camera in which a neighbor offered to “take care of him.”
Morris previously told Fox News Digital that he didn’t want to take legal action and that he offered to waive his rights to proceed with a lawsuit if the HOA agreed to leave his family alone. The HOA refused, he said, and the statute of limitations was almost up on the original letter.
Jury unanimously sided with Morris in discrimination lawsuit, but judge flipped the verdict
Morris sued in January 2017, alleging religious discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. A jury unanimously sided with him and ordered the HOA to pay $75,000.
But Judge B. Lynn Winmill took the unusual step of flipping the verdict and ordering Morris to pay the HOA’s legal fees, concluding the case wasn’t about religious discrimination, but rather the Morris family’s violation of neighborhood rules.
Jeremy Morris’ legal fight with his HOA was the subject of a 2021 Apple TV+ documentary “‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas.” He’s also seeking an agent for his book about the experience. (Courtesy Jeremy Morris)
‘STOP THE NONSENSE’: LAWMAKERS IN ONE STATE MOVE TO GIVE HOMEOWNERS MORE RIGHTS IN HOA DISPUTES
The judge’s order also permanently banned the Morris family from holding another Christmas program that violated the HOA rules, now a moot point since they have moved out of Idaho.
The Morris family appealed, and in June 2020, their case went before the 9th Circuit.
9th Circuit Court of Appeals says letter didn’t break the law, but that HOA may have created a hostile environment
Now, four years later, a three-judge panel affirmed Winmill’s overturning of the jury verdict, concluding that a reasonable jury should not have found the HOA letter from 2015 indicated a preference that a “non-religious individual” buy the Morrises’ home.
But the panel also found that there was enough evidence supporting the jury’s conclusion that the HOA board’s “conduct was motivated at least in part by the Morrises’ religious expression,” according to the more than 100-page ruling.
The panel’s decision was split, with a lengthy dissent from Judge Daniel P. Collins, who suggested the HOA’s behavior was more consistent with making the Morris family “unwelcome” than with enforcing rules. Collins suggested that the board’s action also contributed to harassment toward the Morrises by other residents, physical confrontations and a death threat.
The HOA “categorically denies it interfered with the Morrises’ right to purchase and enjoy their home free from discrimination” and “has always strived to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all residents,” its attorney, Peter Smith, wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.
“We look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate in court that the Association acted legally,” Smith continued. “We are confident that the legal proceedings will ultimately vindicate the Association and show that it has not created a hostile neighborhood for the Morrises.”
WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE
“We can retry the case … and I do believe that we would win as we did before,” Morris told Fox News Digital.
But he said the 9th Circuit’s ruling regarding the letter sets a concerning precedent and suggested the outcome would have been different if “non-Christian” was replaced with any other faith.
“If we were to strictly interpret this decision, people of any faith can be discriminated against. You can admit that you’re discriminating against them,” he said. “We all know that no court would do that, but a court just made it clear you can do that to a Christian.”
He added that, “Christians are no longer in the United States given the same property rights as other people.”
The Supreme Court is asked to review more than 7,000 cases each year and usually agrees to hear fewer than 100.
Thousands of people are estimated to have attended the 2015 and 2016 Christmas light displays at Morris’ home near Hayden, Idaho. Morris said the shows ran for a couple of hours on five nights each December. (Courtesy Jeremy Morris)
Separate suit planned against Idaho State Bar
Morris also told Fox News Digital he is moving to sue the Idaho State Bar for an alleged “shakedown” last year, which he compared to mob tactics.
Representatives of the Idaho State Bar scrutinized comments Morris made about the judge who overturned his case — including that he was “corrupt” and an “anti-Christian bigot” who attempted to “rig a jury.”
The bar threatened to pursue disciplinary charges under Idaho’s professional conduct rules, but offered to dismiss the case if Morris gave up his Idaho legal license, according to correspondence shared with Fox News. Bar counsel noted that Morris has moved out of state and the pending “disciplinary grievance” has affected his ability to gain employment in his new home.
Morris says he has notified the bar that he plans to sue for $10 million.
A representative of the Idaho State Bar declined to comment on potential litigation. The spokesperson also declined to comment on Morris’ possible disciplinary actions other than to say that no formal case has been filed.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City were, in a way, Utah’s entrance onto the world stage.
While the Beehive State is no longer a secret, the return of the Winter Olympics in 2034 will give the state a chance to showcase what could very well be the future of flight after the Utah Department of Transportation and state partners on Monday were selected to lead a federal pilot program to test advanced electric aircraft and other emerging aviation technologies.
More specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Utah as one of eight projects nationwide for the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, a three-year initiative designed to help safely integrate advanced aircraft into the national airspace.
“What this means for Utah and for advanced air mobility is that this enables us to work very closely with the FAA in testing the technology that makes up advanced air mobility,” said Matt Maass, director of UDOT’s Aeronautics Division. “So the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft will be used for moving passengers, these aircraft will be used for moving cargo, medical transport, and it’s all going to be done electrically.”
Specifically, through an initiative called “uFly,” Utah will lead a collaboration between Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and Oklahoma — along with industry partners and research institutions — to test new aviation technology and gather data that will inform the future of electric flight.
Partners in the initiative include BETA Technologies, Ampaire, Joby Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Future Flight Global, Alpine Air, Jump Aero and Utah aerospace and defense company 47G.
Utah has been selected by @SecDuffy and the FAA as one of eight national pilot sites for next-generation electric aircraft. We’re proud to help shape the future of aviation right here in Utah, creating jobs, strengthening mobility, and keeping America at the forefront of… pic.twitter.com/pV2envlxUt
— Governor Cox (@GovCox) March 9, 2026
BETA Technologies might sound familiar to a lot of Utahns, for good reason.
In May 2024, the company launched Project ALTA in conjunction with 47G. Technically known as the Air Logistics Transportation Alliance, the project’s goal is to establish an “advanced air mobility system” for the state.
According to 47G, advanced air mobility is a novel mode of transportation that uses electric aircraft to move people and packages throughout the state. BETA Technologies in March 2025 returned to the state to conduct six days of demonstration flights, showcasing its electric ALIA aircraft.
The federal project, although it doesn’t have any funding attached, brings together over 30 public and private partners to conduct real-world flight operations.
“It will focus on parcels and packages, but then eventually people,” said Aaron Starks, president and CEO of 47G. “This designation now allows us to, through a phased approach, begin implementing all of this right away.”
Utah’s diverse landscapes are another reason the FAA chose the state to lead one of eight projects, Maass explained, saying the electric aircraft can be tested at high-altitude, snowy settings, desert environments and more.
Starks added he’s excited by the prospect of Utah leading the way when it comes to building a functional air mobility system.
“I grew up in northern Utah and rural Utah, and I remember as a kid, coming down to Salt Lake was like a big deal. That was the big city, right? You can be in an air taxi in Provo and into Moab in 36 minutes,” Starks said. “(If) I’m a Utah Jazz fan, or I want to go catch an MLB game, I can get in an air taxi and my family and I can be in Salt Lake, and we can be part of what’s happening here in the state, and live further away from the metropolitan areas that exist on the Wasatch Front. It’s awesome. It’s really cool.”
Starks added that in addition to moving people and packages, the project is also looking into how electric aircraft can be used for avalanche detection and mitigation, organ transplant delivery, wildfire monitoring and other exciting applications.
“This is going to happen in a phased approach, and our goal is to democratize this form of transportation so all families can take advantage,” Starks said.
The pilot program, like the inaugural ventures into electric flight from players like 47G, UDOT and BETA Technologies, has strong legislative backing.
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said that nearly a decade ago, he told the Legislature that someday, electric air taxis would be flying in Utah and that he wanted the state to lead that effort.
“That one day, that one day is here today. We are now leading the effort with other states to bring air mobility to Utah and I couldn’t be more excited,” Adams said. “Our goal, our vision, is, we hope to have this functioning to be able to show off air taxis delivering to our Olympic venues.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
WASHINGTON STATE — Winter was nearly out of here, but after months of hitting the snooze button, the season has decided to wake up.
Western Washington has already seen a return to wintry conditions over the past few days, including brief lowland snow in the North Sound on Tuesday morning. The Cascades are covered in fresh snow, with nearly 3 feet reported at Stevens Pass in the past 48 hours.
An extended plume of moisture — known as an atmospheric river — is expected to move into the Northwest tonight through Thursday. This is not a “Pineapple Express”-style system, as it is oriented straight across the Pacific rather than tapping into warmer air near Hawaii. That means steady precipitation, but snow levels should remain near pass level instead of rising significantly, as they did during storms in December.
Rain is spreading across the region tonight, gradually pushing out the remaining cold air near sea level. Some wet snow or sleet may briefly mix with rain in the lowlands, but it is not expected to last. Overnight lows will hover near 40 degrees in Seattle and Tacoma.
Snow is already falling in the mountains and will intensify on Wednesday. A winter storm warning is in effect for the Cascades, where an additional 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected in the next 24 hours. In the lowlands, periods of cool March rain are expected on Wednesday, with damp conditions for both the morning and evening commutes. High temperatures will reach about 50 degrees in the metro area, close to normal for this time of year.
Feet of snow, gusts up to 50+ mph expected in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains
The heavy snow and gusty wind expected have prompted a rare Blizzard Warning in the mountains Wednesday Evening.{ } Image courtesy of the KOMO 4 Forecast Team.{ }(KOMO News)
By Wednesday evening, a rapidly strengthening area of low pressure will move through Western Washington. Southerly winds of 30 to 50 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph, are expected across the region, including along the coast and through Puget Sound. The strongest winds between Kitsap and King counties are expected between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. A wind advisory is in effect, and gusty conditions could cause tree damage and power outages.
As the storm moves east, winds will shift to the west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands. Gusts of 40 to 55 mph are possible in areas such as Oak Harbor, Port Angeles, and Anacortes.
Strong winds combined with heavy mountain snow have prompted a blizzard warning for parts of the Cascades and Olympics from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday. Winds could exceed 60 mph near mountain peaks and remain strong near the passes. Travel across the Cascades is expected to be hazardous on Wednesday night.
Heavy rain, mountain snow and gusty winds will make for a stormy Wednesday and Thursday around the region. Image courtesy of the KOMO 4 Forecast Team. (KOMO News)
By Thursday, winds will ease, but rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains will continue. Snow levels are expected to remain near 2,000 feet through Thursday and Friday, adding to late-season snowfall at the passes and ski areas.
Another push of colder air is expected Friday night into Saturday, lowering snow levels to about 500 feet by Saturday morning. Some brief, light accumulations of lowland snow are possible. High temperatures on Saturday will struggle to rise much above the lower 40s.
Conditions are expected to improve Sunday and Monday, with drier weather and increasing sunshine just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Highs could approach 60 degrees by Monday afternoon.
Until then, winter appears to be making one final push.
The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.
WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026
Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.
Class 1A
Paul McNiven – Burlington
Bitner Philpott – Burlington
Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)
Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville
Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie
Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)
Corbin Matthews – Lusk
Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)
Jace Westring – Saratoga
Hazen Williams – Saratoga
TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)
Nic Schiller – Upton
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Class 2A
Caleb Adsit – Big Horn
Chase Garber – Big Horn
Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain
Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni
Kade Mills – Sundance
Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Zak Hastie – Thermopolis
Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Joseph Kimbrell – Wright
Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)
Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian
Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)
Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian
The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.
Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026
Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw
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