Case Explained: CALVARY CHAPEL BELFAST v. UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SYSTEM; BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SYSTEM; RYAN LOW

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Filed: 2026-06-30 The First Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of Calvary Chapel Belfast’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, holding that the Church failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits of its claims under the Equal Protection and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. The court applied the *Arlington Heights* “totality of the circumstances” test to evaluate whether the University of Maine System’s decision to rescind Calvary’s winning bid was motivated by unconstitutional religious animus, rather than a per se rule that community opposition automatically taints government action. Under this standard, the court found no clear error in the district court’s factual determination that Vice Chancellor Ryan Low’s decision to cancel the initial procurement award and restart the bidding process was driven solely by a good-faith desire to avoid approximately $500,000 in relocation costs for an internet connectivity hub, rather than religious bias. The appellate court credited Low’s testimony and found that the alleged procedural irregularities—specifically the rescission of the award and the classification of a disappointed bidder’s appeal as a timely “award protest” rather than an untimely “specification protest”—were not substantive or procedural deviations indicative of discriminatory intent. Because Calvary could not prove that religious animus was a motivating factor in the University’s decisionmaking, it could not satisfy the threshold requirement for preliminary injunctive relief. As a practical consequence, the University is permitted to proceed with its second public procurement process and the sale of the Frederick Hutchinson Center property to Waldo Community Action Partners, which was selected as the winning bidder under the revised evaluation criteria. The federal litigation remains pending on the merits, but Calvary’s request to halt the sale or restore its initial bid status during the appeal is denied. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.