DOJ Sides With Church Against Virginia
Chincoteague Island. A church with a capacity to hold over 200 congregants held a church service on Palm Sunday. There were 16 people in attendance. Virginia’s “stay at home order” prohibits group gatherings of more than 10 people. Churches are not among the exceptions to this policy.
Police approached the pastor, while wearing protective gear, and provided a summons. The US Department of Justice argues that the Constitution is not suspended. They’re looking for instances where there are potential violations against the Constitution. Freedom of religion is one of the issues in this case.
From Fox News:
The DOJ decision came after police in protective garb served a summons to Kevin Wilson, the pastor of Lighthouse Fellowship Church on Chincoteague Island, for holding the service on April 5 with 16 people spaced far apart from one another in a church that could fit 293 people. State officials said Wilson and the church violated the Virginia Constitution by breaking state-imposed social distancing restrictions intended to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia has offered no good reason for refusing to trust congregants who promise to use care in worship in the same way it trusts accountants, lawyers, and other workers to do the same,” the DOJ said in a statement of interest obtained by Fox News on Sunday.
Mat Staver, the chairman and founder of Liberty Counsel, representing the pastor, accused Northam, a Democrat, of discriminating against the church and violating the First Amendment.
“As important as it is that we stay safe during these challenging times, it is also important for states to remember that we do not abandon all of our freedoms in times of emergency,” Matthew Schneider, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said in a statement. “Unlawful discrimination against people who exercise their right to religion violates the First Amendment, whether we are in a pandemic or not.”
Commissar Wretched, in one of his trivia posts, mentioned Chincoteague Island. They have an annual horse swim. This is a small, traditional, “flyover country” community where there are residents who do not have Internet access.
Fox News has more information on this topic.
Category: Politics
Oh, there’s more: Northam is being sued, too (as is only proper).
https://www.foxnews.com/us/coronavirus-virginia-church-governor-update
“Mat Staver, chairman and founder of Liberty Counsel, which is representing the pastor, pointed out in a statement that Northam’s own press conferences don’t abide by the limit of 10-person gatherings.” – article re: lawsuit
Someone needs to tell these self-important squibs to jam it right where the sun don’t shine.
Constitution applies to him too.
It will be nice to see an AG taking up a case against a Gov’t over reach. There’s just too many cases of it for individuals to bring them. It would clog the system worse than it already is.
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These restrictions on public gatherings are in violation of the 1A’s protection of the right to peaceable assembly. Large public gatherings may be ill-advised at times, but restrictions thereof are expressly prohibited. I’m surprised nobody has made a bigger deal of this yet.
Then there’s the issue of the church restriction being a violation of the 1A guarantee of free exercise of religion. California and its politburo chairman Newsom need to get jammed up hard over this as well.
Totally agree. All these “orders” are at best suggestions. Governors are unilaterally basically declaring themselves king (or queen in Whitless’s case) in the name of “safety”. It’s abhorrent bullshit. I’m glad people are standing up for their rights. Wish the DOJ would do more proactive work on this instead of waiting for weeks after the incident.
I would not disagree with federal troops
being deployed to ensure civil liberties.
Is that not the role Federalism?
The power hungry domestic enemies of freedom have seen just how easy it is to get the sheeple to do their bidding. We are losing to the FSA that is so busy looking at their phones that they cannot see what is happening. #Resist! #Revolt
Under the guise of “never let a crisis go to waste”
I see an opportunity to teach the Constitution by
pointing out these violations for all to see.
Speech, assembly and religion.
KOB, we usually agree, but on this I think you are overlooking the possibility that this pandemic has served to give the American electorate a glimpse of any future that might await them under a Democrat-controlled federal government.
It has been primarily Blue State governors who have enacted the most oppressive measures and who do not want to lift them. For instance, look at where beaches have reopened and where they remain stubbornly closed despite no evidence to support continued closure.
I do not believe this tendency to turn towards totalitarianism at the first opportunity by Democrats has been lost on most Americans. They are already in the initial stages of rebellion as the mounting number of demonstrations by fed-up citizens demonstrates.
I don’t think all this is going to fade from voters’ memories come election day.
Gentlemen, I pray that you are correct that this can be a teaching opportunity to turn them from the dark side. My faith in the herd mentality is very low. Remember in school when we studied the Holocaust and we wondered how people could be so easily lead to “The Showers”? Now we know. It’s not myself so much that I am concerned about. I don’t have that much time left in the grand scheme of things. I do have concerns for our Republic and my Grandchildren.
The dims know how many votes they need to steal in November and it is obvious that none of the blatant corruption that exists at all levels of our government is being prosecuted. The Commies were right on some of their thinking. They are just waiting for us to destroy ourselves…with their help.
When governments issue further orders like “don’t sing”, “no communion” , “no bibles or hymnals” , they have abrogated any claim to legitimacy under ther Constitution. They should be prosecuted for their misconduct. If sued, then against their persons, not office.
The “don’t gather” is bad enough, and a violation. But when they start defining acceptable worship or not? How insanely self-evident does a First amendment violation have to be before someone gets prosecuted?
When was the last time you saw a church with hymnals?
Was commenting to my wife yesterday that I haven’t heard “Old One Hundred” in years. Usedtabe part of every service. Probably dating myself.
Losing to the FSA? I don’t think so! If we are, then how come there are so many people ignoring the ‘social distance’ crap and “stay at home crap” and holding protests to boot? How come?
WE are NOT losing. The idjits who think they are overlords of some kind are losing.
The more they tighten their grip, the more people will slip through their fingers.
We’ll only lose if we quit. I sure as hell don’t want someone next to me if the first thing they’re going to do is throw up a white flag. If they want to give up, they can do it where I can’t see it. I have seen this bullshit defeatist attitude too many times on The Daily Wire and frankly I am sick of it.
Never quit.
Losers quit.
thebesig …
It’s “Commissioner” Wretched. I don’t want to be confused with Lars, who goes by “Commissar.”
And I had my name here first.
Thanks, my friend.