Supreme Court allows more California churches to hold indoor services, with some limitations



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The United States Supreme Court granted temporary relief on Monday to pastors who sued California over state coronavirus restrictions.

The ruling effectively allows a group of places of worship to run services inside with certain limits after a lower court upheld the state’s restrictions. Monday’s order sends the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals with instructions for referral to the district court.

It follows a series of controversial cases in which states like California have imposed restrictions that have run into religious freedom claims.

Judges said in a 6-to-3 vote on Friday that the state could not impose drastic bans on indoor worship, but could cap it at 25 percent of the building’s capacity.

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Last week’s ruling showed judges were grappling with restrictions on singing or indoor singing, ultimately allowing California to shut down those activities.

“The state’s current determination – that the maximum number of adherents who can safely worship in the most cavernous cathedral is zero – appears to reflect neither expertise nor discretion, but rather an appreciation or consideration. insufficient interest at stake, ”Chief Justice Roberts said.

Newsom’s office said these measures were imposed to protect worshipers from infection.

“We will continue to apply the restrictions the Supreme Court left in place and, after reviewing the decision, we will issue revised guidelines for worship services to continue to protect the lives of Californians,” the attache said. Governor Daniel Lopez’s press release in a statement. declaration.

Newsom’s office on Saturday released revised guidelines for indoor religious services after the Supreme Court lifted the state’s ban on indoor worship during the coronavirus pandemic, but left restrictions in place on it. singing and singing.

The Newsom government’s handling of the pandemic is believed to have supported a recall effort that generated more than 1.4 million signatures of the nearly 1.5 million required in mid-March to trigger an election special.

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In November, a Sutter County judge provisionally ruled that one of dozens of executive orders issued by Newsom exceeded his authority and was “an unconstitutional exercise of legislative power.”

The Supreme Court’s action follows a late 2020 ruling in a 5-4 ruling involving New York City’s restriction on church and synagogues. Soon after, California was asked to reconsider its restrictions.

Brittany De Lea of ​​Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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