CV NEWS FEED // A Supreme Court order issued Friday reiterated that houses of worship in the State of California are free to gather at 25% capacity.
The unsigned order spoke for the majority, with Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting.
The news comes days after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opted to allow California’s Santa Clara County to ban indoor worship.
“The Ninth Circuit’s failure to grant relief was erroneous,” the Supreme Court stated. “This outcome is clearly dictated by this Court’s decision in South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom.”
As CatholicVote reported at the time, the decision cited in Friday’s order was praised as a victory for religious freedom when it was handed down earlier this month, and included a stinging rebuke of anti-religious officials:
Justice Neil Gorsuch noted that California favors its movie industry more than religious believers. “But if Hollywood may host a studio audience or film a singing competition while not a single soul may enter California’s churches, synagogues, and mosques, something has gone seriously awry.”