California Covid Shutdowns went after Religious Liberty

California church hit with $1.2M COVID fines takes religious liberty case to Supreme Court

What happened in California during COVID wasn’t just about masks—it was a battle over the soul of religious liberty.

Two conservative legal groups have taken up the fight on behalf of Calvary Chapel San Jose, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn $1.2 million in fines slapped on the church for holding in-person worship services during statewide pandemic restrictions, as WND reports.

At the height of COVID shutdowns, Santa Clara County levied heavy financial penalties against the church, despite carving out exceptions for secular venues like restaurants and retail stores.

Now the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) and Advocates for Faith and Freedom have brought the case to the Supreme Court, asking it to consider how far government officials can go when it comes to regulating religious expression under the banner of public health.

As stated in an ACLJ report, “This case presents a new frontier: not just whether churches can meet, but whether the government may dictate the manner of worship itself.”

It’s one thing to enforce health guidelines uniformly—it’s something very different to decide which parts of a religious service are acceptable based on a bureaucrat’s checklist.

“We are asking the Supreme Court to affirm that the Constitution protects both the freedom to believe and the freedom to practice those beliefs – without government interference, intimidation, or crushing financial punishment,” the ACLJ said.

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