Supreme Court blocks COVID-related ban on indoor worship in California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court blocked California’s ban on indoor church services during the pandemic, ruling that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders violated the Constitution’s protection of freedom of religion.

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The justices, in a 6-3 decision late Friday, granted an appeal from a San Diego church that challenged the state restrictions on church services, including its ban on singing and chanting, the Los Angeles Times reported. The ruling overturned decisions by federal judges in San Diego and San Bernardino, and also the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco, the newspaper reported.

The justices, however, said California may limit attendance at indoor services to 25% of the building’s capacity, the newspaper reported. Singing and chanting also could be restricted.

The lower courts upheld the state rulings despite warnings from the Supreme Court, according to the Times.

The justices agreed that California had singled out churches for unfair treatment.

“California worries that worship brings people together for too much time. Yet, California does not limit its citizens to running in and out of other establishments; no one is barred from lingering in shopping malls, salons, or bus terminals,” Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote in one of three concurring opinions.

The court’s three liberals -- Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor -- dissented.

“Justices of this court are not scientists. Nor do we know much about public health policy. Yet today the court displaces the judgments of experts about how to respond to a raging pandemic,” Kagan wrote. “The court orders California to weaken its restrictions on public gatherings by making a special exception for worship services.”

It is the second time over the past few months that the Supreme Court has sided -- at least partially -- with religious institutions, CNN reported.

In December, the justices sided with a ministry that argued California’s COVID-19 restrictions on indoor services violated its religious liberty rights, the network reported. In late November, the high court ruled 5-4 in favor of houses of worship in New York that challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 restrictions, CNN reported.

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