State church restrictions left in place: court ordered to review them
If churches in purple counties in the California want to meet for indoor services, they will still have to do so in violation of the state’s guidelines — for now.
The Supreme Court on Thursday left the California restrictions in place for now. The order was unsigned with no noted dissent.
But also throughout a federal district court ruling that rejected a challenge to the limits placed on church services by Pasadena’s Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, which has more than 160 churches across the state. The Supreme Court ordered the lower federal district court to reevaluate its decision.
California’s guidelines doesn’t allow for any indoor church services for churches in counties in the purple tier, which is about 99 percent of the state. And the guidelines still restrict the number of people allowed in indoor church services based on which tier a county is in. Churches can hold outdoor services.
Last week, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote, ruled New York couldn’t enforce an limitations on attendance at churches and synagogues. But that ruling was specific to New York.
In a ruling earlier this year, in a 5-4 vote, in a case in California the Supreme Court ruled the state had the right to enforce restrictions on churches. But Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who recently died, was on the court then and voted with the majority. Ginsburg’s vote was flipped when President Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett voted with the majority in the New York case.
Based on the Supreme Court ruling, churches in California began holding indoor services or at least began to evaluate if they could hold indoor services.
The courts are weighing churches rights to meet under the First Amendment vs. safety concerns. Those who favor the restrictions state church services can be “super spreaders” of COVID-19 and there have been reports of outbreaks as the result of church services.