Churches’ lawyers challenge occupancy limit
Lawyers for two Nevada churches argued before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that Gov. Steve Sisolak has arbitrarily ordered tougher COVID-19 restrictions on places of worship than most businesses in the state.
“You could go watch a football game in a bar, and be in a bar eating, drinking, smoking — because, mind you, Nevada still has smoking in bars — and be there for 2½ hours watching a football game, but you can’t go to church,” Las Vegas attorney Sigal Chattah, who represents Calvary Chapel’s Lone Mountain location, told a three-judge panel. “And I will present to the court that Calvary services are a lot shorter than football games.”
The Las Vegas chapter and the church’s Dayton location in Lyon County have challenged Sisolak’s 50-person limit on places of worship, upheld by a lower court judge earlier this year.
Deputy Solicitor General Craig Newby, who represents the state, argued in the hearing conducted in a videoconference that there is a heightened risk associated with religious services.
“This assumes that it’s a restriction on religious services in general,” he said. “It certainly is not. … There is opportunity and availability, without numerical limitations, for outdoor services. And that fits in to the type of
COVID risks specifically associated with these types of mass gatherings closed in. The governor made the determination that there are differences in terms of the nature of the activities, the fact that the very nature of what religious services are, congregating, coming together as one.”
Judge Milan Smith appeared skeptical of the argument.
“But that’s not true in casinos, right?” the judge asked.
“Casinos are different,” Newby responded, pointing to an “increased enforcement ability of casinos.”
Still, the judge was doubtful. “Counsel, with respect, I read that in your brief, and I couldn’t stop laugh
death.
Last week, the Review-journal was the first media outlet to report that Shawn Mcdonnell and Kayleigh Lewis had gotten married in early November at a downtown Las Vegas chapel. After the ceremony, the couple embarked on a weekslong joyride across the country with Christopher Mcdonnell, traveling as far as Washington, D.C., before returning west to Nevada.
Somewhere along the way, according to Wolfson, the trio crafted a plan for a series of shootings that appeared to be random, although Wolfson has said details will be revealed about how they chose their victims.
Most of the shootings were vehicle-to-vehicle, but the most violent attack unfolded shortly after 12:50 a.m. on Thanksgiving in front of a 7-Eleven in Henderson. The gunfire lasted six
minutes and left one dead — Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, of North Las Vegas — and four others injured, including Mendiola’s girlfriend and younger brother.
One of the victims told the Review-journal last week that the trio showed no remorse during the shootings.
“I stared down the barrel of his gun, and I swear it was like time slowed down,” Andrew Muniz said. “It’s like what you would see in the movies.”