According to WGNS, a local judge has ruled 14 new plaintiffs can join the lawsuit to stop construction for a mosque on Veals Road here in Murfreesboro.

Chancellor Robert Corlew made the ruling just before lunch Wednesday. County Attorney Jim Cope and his partner Josh McCreary contended the 14 new plaintiffs who recently joined the lawsuit against the county to stop the project, have no legal standing in the suit that was originally filed last September.

Rutherford County was sued after the Regional Planning Commission approved the site plans for the Murfreesboro Islamic Center on Veals Road.

County attorneys note that testimony from the new plaintiffs has been included in court testimony.

The hearing ended shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, and by law Corlew has 60-days to reach a decision. However, that decision was handed down shortly after being considered.  In earlier proceedings, Corlew ruled that “Islam is in fact a religion.” All legal actions must be decided with that ruling in mind.