Why Kamala's Interview With a Muslim Influencer Went Off the Rails
One Dearborn Voter's Damning Observation About Kamala
This Video Out of California Shows Why Voter ID Laws Are Necessary
The Liberal Media Is Seething Right Now Heading Into Election Day
Is It Too Early to Talk 2028?
Trump Unveils New Proposal to Tackle Border Crisis
The NYT Has a Big Problem on Its Hands Heading Into Election Day
RFK Jr.'s Final Pitch: 'Do NOT Vote for Me'
Go Vote: GOP Senator Predicts What the Country Would Look Like After the...
Trump's Closing Message to Voters
Voter Turnout and Ballot Completion Is Everything
Half of Gen Z Voters Say They Lied About Who They Voted for...
Texas Tells DOJ Election Monitors to Pound Sand
The Elites Are About to Hand Trump a Second Term
Kamala Harris’ Energy Policies Are More Extreme and Harmful Than Biden’s
Tipsheet

California’s Coronavirus Restrictions on Religious Services Struck Down by Ninth Circuit Court

AP Photo/Noah Berger

Earlier this week, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a California church fighting coronavirus restrictions on indoor worship services.

Advertisement

The appeals court struck down an October order from a district judge and awarded South Bay United Pentecostal Church relief against California’s indoor worship restrictions. 

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the lawsuit argued that California Gov. Gavin Newsom, while condoning large outdoor protests and secular indoor gatherings, targeted religious services with coronavirus restrictions. The church also highlighted the fact that Newsom was caught dining at an expensive restaurant even though he told Californians to stay home because of the virus.

According to KPBS news, the panel based the decision on recent rulings from the Supreme Court, which favored houses of worship challenging New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and another California church which also challenged Newsom on similar grounds.

Paul Jonna of the Thomas More Society Counsel, the group representing South Bay United Pentecostal Church, stated that, "[T]he guidance from the Supreme Court makes it abundantly clear that California's restrictions on houses of worship are blatantly unconstitutional. We are confident that South Bay will fully vindicate its fundamental constitutional rights in short order." Jonna also told the Free Beacon that “[I]t's just a matter of time before they're struck down.”

Advertisement

This panel clearly ruled correctly. As Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in the Supreme Court case of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York last month, “[I]t is time—past time—to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques.” And, as Justice Neil Gorsuch added, “[E]ven if the Constitution has taken a holiday during this pandemic, it cannot become a sabbatical.” 

The First Amendment could not agree more.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement