Church Of Universal Love And Music founder William Pritts filed a $1 million suit against Fayette County in 2006, claiming religious discrimination after being told to stop the music in 2005.

Pritts held concerts beginning in 2002 at his 147-acre spread about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

The county banned the concerts, citing zoning violations, and said Pritts didn’t claim to run a church until being questioned about his plans to build an amphitheatre. County officials also said he charged admission to concerts.

“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” was intrigued enough with the organization to run a segment about it. In the 2003 clip, Pritts says “God never said you can’t party on” and criticizes the act of bogarting joints at a concert.

The county hoped to use the clip in court to prove Pritts’ religious beliefs were insincerely held.

U.S. District Judge Donetta Amrbose said the segment is relevant to Pritts’ beliefs but would be unfairly prejudicial because the interview with Pritts is edited and contains a laugh track.

The county’s attorney hopes to obtain the unedited video, saying, “We think it’s important for the jury to see the whole story.”

Pritts’s attorney said the ruling vindicates his client.

“The proper thing to do would have been to grant our client a religious-use exception,” Gregory Koerner said. “That is the entire issue in this litigation.”