Supreme Court upholds restrictions on church reopenings in California during coronavirus pandemic
WASHINGTON – A deeply divided Supreme Court refused Friday night to allow churches in California and Illinois to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic with more worshippers than state plans permit.
The court's four more conservative justices dissented, with the newest, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, declaring that California's 25% occupancy limit on churches amounted to"discrimination against religious worship services." In a case arising in California, the court sided with Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to limit in-church gatherings to no more than 100 people.
The churches have become the latest protesters against strict state coronavirus restrictions. Legal battles have stretched from California to Virginia and from Minnesota to Mississippi. Illinois noted in response that its strict limit was expiring Friday, to be followed by no mandatory restrictions but with public health guidance about best practices. For that reason, the attorney general's office said, the churches' challenge was moot.
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