High court bars state rules limiting worship meetings

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled that California may not enforce coronavirusrelated restrictions that have limited homebased religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings.

The order from the court late Friday is the latest in a string of cases in which the high court has barred officials from enforcing restrictions applying to religious gatherings.

Five conservative justices agreed that California restrictions that apply to inhome religious gatherings should be lifted for now, while the court’s three liberals and Chief Justice John Roberts would not have done so.

California has already, however, announced significant changes loosening restrictions on gatherings that go into effect April 15. The changes come after infection rates have gone down in the state.

The case before the justices involved California rules that in most of the state limit indoor social gatherings to no more than three households. Attendees are required to wear masks and physically distance from each other. Different restrictions apply to places including schools, grocery stores and churches.

“California treats some comparable secular activities more favorably than athome religious exercise,” allowing hair salons, retail stores, and movie theaters, among other places, “to bring together more than three households at a time,” the unsigned order from the court said. A lower court “did not conclude that those activities pose a lesser risk of transmission than applicants’ proposed religious exercise at home,” it said.

Michael Pappas, executive director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, which represents about 800 religious communities, said he expected the ruling would soon lead to a revision by the mayor’s office and the public health department of its policy banning religious group gatherings.

“The city needs to digest the ruling and see how that translates,” he said. “The health department orders are pretty much the law of the land. We’re waiting.”

A San Francisco prayer group leader was excited at the idea of restarting the disbanded sessions. Doug Person, who led a prayer meditation group for Calvary Presbyterian Church before pandemic rules scuttled it 14 months ago, said the high court ruling is a “welcome step.”

“We’re looking forward to meeting again,” he said. “This is a good thing.”