Harvest Rock Church. (Photo: Harvest Rock Church)
San Diego Church Wins Precedence Setting Religious Rights Case
The church alleged that gov’s lockdown orders specifically target and discriminate against churches
By Katy Grimes, December 8, 2020 9:22 pm
Last week we reported that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan ordered California Gov. Gavin Newsom to respond to an emergency petition filed by Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry, which requests an injunction pending appeal in their federal lawsuit against the governor.
Apparently the governor and his legal team ignored the church’s emergency petition, eliciting the directive from Justice Kagan.
The church alleged that the governor’s executive orders imposing lockdowns since March specifically target and discriminate against houses of worship in California.
Just last week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Brooklyn, New York Diocese and Orthodox Jewish synagogues in their case against the state’s COVID restrictions, Catholic News Agency reported.
Catholic News Agency said Harvest Rock Church reported that following Newsom’s order, local officials began sending letters “threatening up to 1 year in prison, daily criminal charges and $1,000 fines against the pastors, church, governing board, staff, and parishioners” if they did not comply with the restrictions.
“The church filed the lawsuit against the state, but a district court would not grant its request to halt the restrictions. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled against the church in October, refusing to overrule the district court’s decision and saying that while the state provided expert testimony to support its public health restrictions, the church had not provided its own health expert to make its case.”
Good news:
The Thomas More Society reported they won a major victory Tuesday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. “The federal court vacated the district court’s October 15, 2020, order denying South Bay United Pentecostal Church’s motion for injunctive relief against California Governor Gavin Newsom’s COVID-prompted discrimination. The church in Chula Vista, California, has been fighting for the right to hold unrestricted indoor worship, something the governor has criminalized,” the Thomas Moore Society reported.
As a result of the recent United States Supreme Court rulings in Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom and Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo that upheld religious rights against excesses in gubernatorial power, the Ninth Circuit remanded the case back to the lower court.
Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel applauded the action, saying. “The guidance from the Supreme Court makes it abundantly clear that California’s restrictions on houses of worship are blatantly unconstitutional. We are confident that South Bay will fully vindicate its fundamental constitutional rights in short order.”
The order issued December 8, 2020, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in in South Bay United Pentecostal Church, et al v. Gavin Newsom, et al., is available here.
This is huge.
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GREAT NEWS!
WOW, a new low, threatening pastors, parishioners for their freedom of religion with a year in prison and daily fines. There is a special place in HELL for Newsom along with his REAL criminals. This is great news to wake up too and gives me hope.
The DHS controls most clergy – it’s called the “Clergy Response Team.” FACT: most clergy are paid extra $$ by the federal government to preach compliance with government mandates. FACT: “confession” is an intelligence agency trick to gather information. It’s NOT confidential.
This is a charade – forcing “covid” into a false right-left paradigm that actually screws the progressives who you would think would give a frack about civil liberties.
Praying for all! Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”The Bible, God’s Word, is the most important, only truthful book in the world, and praying all will read. God tells us our earth’s complete history, from beginning to end, as all scripture was written by inspiration of God, for us to be corrected, and reproved, by walking in His truth (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Too many false gospels, signs and wonders, none have the truth, since God has allowed Satan to take his seat in the temple (churches), and now rules, according to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 (2 Corinthians 11, Revelation 2,3, 17-22) Judgment has begun on the house of God, in 1 Peter chapter 4, God is starting with the churches, and then to many more; (Ezekiel 9, Jeremiah 25…) God is our Faith, our Baptism, our LORD, and Father of all, and only He can save, not the pope, priest, you, or me, and none can come to Him, unless He draws, and only by His mercy; (John 6:44, 10:30, Ezekiel 36, Romans 1-9, 1 Timothy 2:5, Titus 3, Ephesians 1-5…) So as the days of Noah, because of too much sin, when the floods came, and took most everyone/thing away, except for the animals on ark, and Noah’s family of eight, So shall our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ (both the same), come and destroy this earth with fire on the dreadful Judgment Day, with only a remnant saved (Isaiah 1, 10, 11, Jeremiah 23, 31, Ezekiel 6, Joel 2, Malachi 4, Romans 9, 11, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Revelation 11, 12, 18-22….), and He alone is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2); Please come soon LORD Jesus, please come soon, let Satan and sin no longer rule, for many are suffering, more and more each day, especially the children, LORD we pray; Please come soon dear LORD, please come save. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91StduCKTyw&list=PLjkB_azoBUR2klMZJ1EUdMsCBtL1Nik5w&index=1
This church is in Pasadena, CA… NOT San Diego. I not only attend Harvest Rock, I work there.