This seems to me to be a clear first amendment violation. The states are going to lose. No disease nullifies the U.S. Constitution.

I do believe I called that this was coming.

argues that state officials abused their power and used the pandemic to deprive Californians of "fundamental rights protected by the U.S. and California Constitutions, including freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, and due process and equal protection under the law."

Based on federal action, I do believe they will win a number of these actions. Further crippling the us economy.

"Religious gatherings have been at the center of legal disputes across the country.The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, tried to stop a church's drive-in Easter service, but on Saturday a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order overturning that effort."

As much as people here seem to think that people who call themselves govt are all powerful; they must respect the charters that give them authority to act, lest all of our freedoms be overrun.

Also of great concern is the police using drones and medical records to track "threats" with coronavirus. I expect at least a few lawsuits there as well. Although the media has mostly kept quiet on these types of matters in favor of ginning up as much fear as possible.

These are the times that should show the "faithful" whether the leaders of their congregation are more interested in the lives and well being of their flocks or the money in their wallets. If they want you to come to their church and attend services in person it's only because they want to pick your pocket by way of the collection plate. In my sixty plus years of life I've yet to have anyone tell me what currency their deity uses, where it banks at, or what the exchange rate is to the currency they're always asking me for.

I live in a county in Arizona where Navajos were infected from a church gathering. The tribe did the right thing and shut down the entire reservation. I don't see why people that have become infected because of this practice couldn't sue pastors that encourage this disregard for the rest of us.

Good luck with that one. Let's see, so now the clergy are losing money from a lack of flock gatherings so they decide to spend even more money to hire lawyers to sue the state. Too funny.

Maybe this should be a real wake-up call for many of us that rights are not inviolate. They are conditional. Humans do not tell mother nature what to do. Maybe the churches should name her as the defendant.

No big surprise. Christians trying to claim more rights than everyone else, again. We ALL have the right to assemble and freedom of movement. We all are expected to comply--Christians are not being singled out. They are looking for persecution where there is none.

he surely means that they have been deprived of their right to die. Fair enough but they should not have the right to kill others.

Let them waste their money on legal fees...

I like this quote: "While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly (and) not single out religious orgs." So if they have shut down any other businesses or gatherings (like say gyms?), then it would kill the argument?

I think there are limits to religious freedoms. One would be to be able to limit religious meetings and services temporarily to insure public health, during a pandemic.

I don't think religious freedoms should include the right to organizes religious meetings which endangers public health so the church leaders and continue to collect offerings/donations.

Evangelical republican morons, if they didn't pose a threat to the rest of us then let them good riddance. But religion doesn't trump public health

Tax the motherfuckers and you'll see how they STFU!

Such pastors should be imprisoned 20 years for every person in their congregation who dies of Corvid19 for having attended an unlawful service.

[law.cornell.edu]