July 1985
City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center (1985)
Cleburne, Texas required a special use permit for a group home for people with intellectual disabilities, but not for similar facilities like boarding houses. The developer sued, and the Supreme Court ruled the zoning law violated the Equal Protection Clause because it was based on irrational prejudice.
Then
Cleburne's permit denial was struck down, and the group home opened.
Now
The precedent strengthened the right to place community-based care facilities without discriminatory zoning.
Why this matters now
It shows how zoning can be used to exclude social services and that courts may limit such exclusions. Here, the city is trying to add a facility, but opponents want to use zoning to block it.