Local rebels: How local governments get around federal and state laws to resist new mosques

Abstract

ABSTRACT Counties and municipalities are de jure subservient to higher-level governments. However, local governments often exercise powers reserved for state or federal governments and even engage in illegal acts. Such local noncompliance acts have been underexplored in the scholarly literature, especially regarding less visible methods. To fill this gap, this article uses cases of resistance to new mosques in Chicago’s suburbs to illustrate how municipalities use delays, denials, and revenues to get around federal and state laws to violate minority rights. The three methods improve a typology of local noncompliance and illustrate the limits and possibilities of local democracy. Local governments can ignore new federal and state laws; vote on policies and permits; delay decisions or implementation; use fiscal powers; and engage in symbolic acts.