The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) granted Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry’s petition for writ of certiorari last week, vacating lower court orders that were preventing worshipers from attending church as well as chanting and singing during services due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“The September 2 order of the United States District Court for the Central District of California is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit with instructions to remand to the District Court for further consideration in light of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo,” the Dec. 3 order states.
Last month, Gov. Newsom expanded purple zone restrictions to 41 of 58 counties and, as previously reported, Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, headquartered in Pasadena, had moved SCOTUS for an injunction so that restrictions of any color or tier would no longer apply to religious freedoms or houses of worship. The county of Pasadena has been classified as purple or tier 1, which is the most restrictive of all tiers and zones since the underlying lawsuit had been filed in July.
“We are very happy,” Harvest Rock Attorney Matt Staver said. “It is a new day for all the litigation involving churches. We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. The handwriting is on the wall as to where this court is directed to go by the Supreme Court considering this action and last week's decision.”
SCOTUS overturned New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's religious restrictions on Nov. 25, issuing a temporary injunction that prevents Gov. Cuomo from enforcing limits of 10 and 25 worshipers. Five Justices decided that New York state’s virus risk classifications discriminated against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Agudath Israel of America.
“It applies to California but I think the message is quite clear,” Staver told Southern California Record. “The Supreme Court has issued a shot over the bow of all of these draconian restrictions, whether it's California, New York or any other state. The governors ought to be listening and they ought to take immediate action because they will lose these cases if they continue to press them.”
Staver added that believers can attend church and even engage in singing and chanting at services.
“I think people can go back to church,” he said. “The writing is on the wall as to where the Supreme Court stands. We will be filing a renewed emergency injunction in light of the Supreme Court's decision and ask for immediate relief from the lower district court.”
Both the federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had previously denied the churches’ requests for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction but the SCOTUS decision vacates their decisions.