Chancellor Robert Corlew III listens to arguments April 26, 2012, during a trial over the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (File photo)

A local Chancery Court judge denied a request by Rutherford County officials Monday to lift a partial injunction that is preventing members of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro from using the building once it is complete.

Chancellor Robert Corlew III ruled the injunction preventing the issuance of an occupancy certificate would remain in place until the Tennessee Court of Appeals reviews his previous ruling.

In May, Corlew ruled the Rutherford County Planning Commission failed to provide adequate public notice prior to approving construction of the Islamic Center.

Although he has stopped short of halting construction, Corlew said an occupancy certificate could not be issued because his previous decision voided authorization of a site plan proposal, which was approved by the Planning Commission during a May 2010 meeting.

The decision means members of the Islamic Center may not use the building until all of the court proceedings, including those at the appellate level, are complete – a process that could take up to a year.