West
'Christmas Lawyer' files for Supreme Court review in battle with HOA over holiday light show
The self-described “Christmas Lawyer,” who staged elaborate holiday displays in defiance of his former homeowners association, is asking the nation’s highest court to weigh in on the neighborhood feud.
“Who would have thought that nine Justices of the United States Supreme Court are about to sit down over Christmas and read a legal case involving a fundraiser to help families with children suffering from cancer that involves Dolly the Camel, 700,000 Christmas lights, a children’s choir and the REAL SANTA CLAUS testifying in federal court,” Jeremy Morris told Fox News Digital in an email.
Morris, an attorney, gained international prominence in 2015 for throwing a five-day holiday light show that drew thousands of revelers to his former home just outside of Hayden, Idaho, to the dismay of some of his neighbors.
His subsequent fight with his HOA over alleged religious discrimination reached the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled earlier this year partially for Morris, and partially for the HOA.
Jeremy Morris’ five-day Christmas light show to raise money for charity began in 2014. When he moved to a new neighborhood the following year, his homeowners association tried to stop him from repeating the event. (Courtesy Jeremy Morris)
‘CHRISTMAS LAWYER’ WHO WENT TO WAR WITH HIS HOA IS NOW FACING ANOTHER FIGHT — THE IDAHO STATE BAR
The HOA had until Dec. 19 to file an opposition to Morris’ latest petition, but declined to do so. Attorney Peter Smith said that’s because justices are unlikely to take the case. The Supreme Court is asked to review more than 7,000 cases each year and usually agrees to hear fewer than 100.
“[T]his case does not warrant the Court’s attention given it is an isolated dispute between a homeowner and a homeowners association,” Smith, who is representing the HOA, wrote to Fox News Digital.
Origins of the Christmas light fight
Morris made an offer on a house near Hayden 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 offended by the display. 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. (Fox News Digital)
HOA HORROR STORIES: GEORGIA HOMEOWNERS SHARE NIGHTMARISH LEGAL BRAWLS
When Morris started hanging hundreds of thousands of individual bulbs on his house à la Clark Griswold, the HOA’s attorney sent him a letter threatening legal action if he hosted the event without approval from the board.
Morris didn’t back down. 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 2016 show. Neighbors were accused of harassing spectators, and 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 he didn’t want to take legal action and 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 more than $111,000 in legal fees, concluding the case wasn’t about religious discrimination, but rather the Morris family’s violation of neighborhood rules.
Morris, who has since moved out of Idaho, appealed. His case went before the 9th Circuit in June 2020 and waited four years for a ruling.
In 2018, a jury unanimously agreed that the HOA discriminated against the Morris family when it tried to stop their Christmas show. But the following spring, the federal judge who oversaw the trial made the rare move of flipping the verdict. (Courtesy Jeremy Morris)
‘STOP THE NONSENSE’: LAWMAKERS IN ONE STATE MOVE TO GIVE HOMEOWNERS MORE RIGHTS IN HOA DISPUTES
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 determined 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 9th Circuit ruling allowed for a new trial, but Morris appealed to the Supreme Court instead. He has “several attorneys potentially lined up” to represent him, and said he’s hopeful his case will appeal to the justices, noting that it encompasses several constitutional rights.
“The right to celebrate Christmas in accordance with our family’s faith traditions, to use our property to express that Christian faith tradition, and the right to have a unanimous jury verdict protected after 15 hours of deliberations — all are at the core of Constitutional protections and 250 years of American jurisprudence,” he wrote.
Smith previously told Fox News Digital that 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.”
Around 349,000 Idahoans live in neighborhoods governed by HOAs, just under 20% of the state’s total population, according to 2021 data from the Foundation for Community Association Research.
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San Francisco, CA
Jury deadlocked on 2 counts for Golden Gate Bridge pro-Palestinian protesters
A jury in San Francisco returned to a packed courtroom Thursday morning to tell a judge that it was deadlocked on two counts in the case against seven pro-Palestinian protesters who shut down traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2024 to denounce U.S. aid to Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.
The jury indicated that it could likely reach a decision on one of the deadlocked counts, but the other it could not. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Teresa Caffese asked the jury to resume deliberations on one of the two deadlocked counts.
“Why don’t I send you back, and then we’ll go from there,” Caffese said.
Six of the protesters who chained themselves together on vehicles on the bridge and a protester who was designated to communicate with authorities are each facing eight to nine charges of felony conspiracy and false imprisonment.
The seven defendants sat in the courtroom with anticipation for a verdict, wearing keffiyehs around their necks. Dozens of their supporters packed the courtroom to the brim.
The jury reached unanimous decisions on the rest of the counts. It did not indicate which two counts it was deadlocked on.
Supporters of the seven protesters said that a verdict on the rest of the counts is expected to be read out sometime Thursday.
Denver, CO
Where to Celebrate the 4th of July in Denver This Weekend – 303 Magazine
The Fourth of July weekend is one of the biggest celebrations of the summer, and Denver is delivering a packed lineup of events for every kind of adventurer. Whether you’re looking to watch fireworks light up the Colorado sky, catch a live concert at Red Rocks, enjoy rooftop parties, indulge in seasonal food and drinks or explore the city’s thriving arts and culture scene, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate Independence Day.
Here’s your guide to the best music, food, fireworks, nightlife, arts, and cultural events happening across Denver this Fourth of July weekend.
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Read: Best Rooftops to Watch 4th of July Fireworks + Sip Cocktails in Denver
Read: The Ultimate 4th of July Outdoor Colorado Music Guide
FASHION EVENTS
MUSIC EVENTS
Read: The Ultimate 4th of July Outdoor Colorado Music Guide
FOOD EVENTS
Read: Best Rooftops to Watch 4th of July Fireworks + Sip Cocktails in Denver
LIFESTYLE EVENTS
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Whether you’re dancing at a concert, enjoying a garden dinner, cheering on your favorite soccer team or exploring a new exhibition, Denver offers plenty of ways to fill your 4th of July weekend calendar. Gather your friends, support local businesses, and discover something new around the city.
Seattle, WA
COUNTDOWN: Two days until West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade! Here’s the newest info
Just two days until hundreds of West Seattle’s youngest residents will parade through the streets of North Admiral with their families, as the Admiral Neighborhood Association again presents the West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade. We’ve checked in with parade coordinators for the newest info:
>Gina Topp (SPS School Board President, Admiral resident, and owner of Mission Cantina) will kick off the parade.
–Kavya Bhatkar (age 10), a School of Rock student, will sing the anthem.
-Title sponsors for the parade are: Neighborhood Naturopathic and Primary Care and Holy Rosary.
-Food available for purchase including:
Seattle Pops
West Seattle Grounds
Where Ya at Matt
Empanadas El Pachi
La La Lemonade
Seattle Sorbet
Hawk Dogs
Sugar & Spoon
The parade starts at 10 am Saturday from 45th SW and SW Sunset, heads west on Sunset for a bit, turns south and then east, ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park for a post-parade celebration with sack races, activity booths, the aforementioned food/treat vendors, and if they’re not called away to an emergency, an SFD truck to see. No RSVP or registration required to be in the parade – just show up (non-motorized bikes, trikes, scooters, strollers, etc., welcome, or just walk).
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