Newsom Hit With Major Settlement Over COVID Lockdowns on Churches
(Worthy News) – California is paying more than $2 million in legal fees after discriminating against places of worship during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state agreed to pay the fees stemming from two legal cases, South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom and Father Trevor Burfitt v. Newsom, that saw religious leaders take Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) to court over shutdown orders that singled out places of worship. The United States District Court for the Southern District of California issued the two judgments after months of legal clashes between the Newsom administration and churches in the state. Father Trevor Burfitt, one of the plaintiffs, had won a victory in December as a judge suspended Newsom’s restrictions pending a full trial.
In another major victory for religious institutions, Newsom’s administration agreed to prohibitions on restrictions that treat religious gatherings more harshly than secular gatherings. Any lockdowns on religious services cannot exceed “the precautions imposed on other similar gatherings of similar risk,” according to the district court’s order. [ Source: Washington Free Beacon (Read More…) ]
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