WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court tells California’s Santa Clara County that it cannot enforce a ban on indoor religious worship due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Supreme Court issued an injunction Friday night in a case brought by a handful of churches.
The judges told the state of California in early February that it cannot block indoor church services due to the pandemic. The judges said at the time that the state could limit indoor services to 25% of a building’s capacity and continue to ban singing and singing.
But Santa Clara had argued that the temporary ban on all types of indoor gatherings, including worship services, should be enforced. The province, which also includes San Jose, said it treated houses of worship no differently from other indoor areas where it prohibits gatherings and attendance by hats. The province said people could go to houses of worship to pray or go to confession, among other things, but they could not gather with groups of others. The county said the same was true for retail outlets, where shoppers can go but don’t gather for an event like reading a book.
The judges’ unsigned order said on Friday that their action was “clearly dictated” by their order from earlier this month. The court’s three liberal judges disagreed.
Santa Clara had told the court in a letter on Thursday that coronavirus cases in the province have continued to decline recently and that it has almost lifted the ban on indoor gatherings. If the data continues the positive trend, the letter said, the county expected all indoor meetings, subject to restrictions, to be allowed next Wednesday.