Federal judge says Colorado Covid-19 restrictions on churches are unconstitutional
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A federal judge has ruled as unconstitutional Colorado’s COVID-19 decree that limits the number of congregants that can attend a religious service and that requires attendees to wear face masks for the duration of the meeting, Christian Post reports.
A President Trump appointee, Judge Daniel Domenico gave his ruling earlier the month after Denver Bible Church in Wheat Ridge and Community Baptist Church in Brighton filed a lawsuit challenging the restrictions.
“The Constitution does not allow a state to tell a congregation how large it can be when comparable secular gatherings are not so limited, or to tell a congregation that its reason for wishing to remove facial coverings is less important than a restaurant’s or spa’s,” Domenico said.
“With each exception, Colorado makes for secular institutions, the failure to make the same exemption for houses of worship becomes increasingly problematic,” he added. Domenico also stressed that the state “does not have the power to decide which tasks are a necessary part of an individual’s religious worship,” the judge added.
The ruling leaves in place other state measures, including the requirement that churchgoers keep social distance, use hand sanitizer, and do not shake hands. Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have already appealed the ruling, the Christian Post reports.
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