in Rutherford County, Tennessee, is heating up with opposition lawyers invoking Osama bin Laden.
The county government has approved the mosque, but some local residents have gone to court seeking an injunction to stop construction.
In a court filing last week, the opponents of the mosque argue, among other things, that the county did not legally approve plans for the mosque. County officials strongly dispute that.
Joe Brandon, the attorney for opponents of the mosque, wrote in the motion: “The local Rutherford County government is engaging in willful obstruction of justice.” And he asks: “If Osama bin Laden made application, would they have felt led then to look into what was being proposed?”
Nashville NewsChannel 5 legal analyst Jim Todd said, “When you get into where Osama bin Laden gets mentioned, I think it shows you have no [legal] argument.”
Todd said critics of the mosque are stirring emotions more than making legal arguments.
He added that courts are not immune to how people feel about an issue. “Courts are run by elected officials. It could put more pressure on the judge,” said Todd. But, he said, judges are bound to follow the law regardless of public opinion.
Brandon said opponents of the mosque will back up their accusations in court. The trial continues in Chancery Court on October 20.