DNAinfo.com (Manhattan, NY) - Ground Zero Mosque Lawsuit Ruling Could Come Next Month, Judge Says

By Julie Shapiro, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LOWER MANHATTAN The legal dispute over the mosque near Ground Zero may soon be over.

A conservative group representing a 9/11 firefighter has been trying for months to derail the Park51 mosque and community center by challenging the city's decision to allow the project to move forward.

Judge Paul Feinman said during a hearing Tuesday that he will issue a decision as soon as next month, according to two people who attended.

The American Center for Law and Justice sued the city and Park51's developers last year after the city Landmarks Preservation Commission voted not to block the mosque by landmarking an existing building on the site. That building, 45-47 Park Place, was hit by landing gear from one of the planes on 9/11.

Brett Joshpe, lawyer for the ACLJ, argued Tuesday that the building is historically significant because of the 9/11 damage and should have been landmarked. He accused Mayor Michael Bloomberg of politicizing the vote through his support of the mosque project. . . .

The complete story is posted here.