Supreme Court Lifts Ban on California In-Person Worship Services, Leaves Some Restrictions

The Supreme Court issued emergency relief Friday to remove California’s ban on indoor church services placed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The high court's ruling comes after the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista and the Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena argued that the state violated religious liberty when it placed restrictions on in-person worship attendance based on COVID-19 cases in California. The order limits indoor capacity to 25% and still places a prohibition on singing and chanting during indoor services. The Court voted 6-3 in favor of lifting the ban, while leaving some restrictions in place. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas said they would have removed restrictions completely, while the three liberal justices dissented. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh said it wasn’t clear at this point whether the singing ban was being applied “across the board." Outlets from across the spectrum focused on the details of the restrictions still in place, as well as details of the different arguments by the justices. Some voices from the left and center framed the Supreme Court as "divided."