South Bay United Pentecostal Church in San Diego, California | Google Maps
A federal judge has denied a San Diego-area church’s request to overturn California’s restrictions on in-person worship services after she was ordered to rehear the case following U.S. Supreme Court decisions striking down coronavirus-related worship restrictions.
South Bay United Pentecostal Church, based in Chula Vista, has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with the state of California after Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented restrictions on in-person worship services as part of an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The church attempted unsuccessfully to convince U.S. District Court Judge Cynthia Bashant to lift Newsom’s worship restrictions, which currently allow worship services to “open outdoors only with modifications.”
Key Cases
In
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. v. Cuomo, No. 20A87, 2020 WL 6948354 (U.S. Nov. 25, 2020) (per curiam), the U.S. Supreme Court enjoined enforcement of the 10- and 25-person occupancy limits on churches in New York Executive Order 202.68, pending appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. This was an abrupt shift for the court as compared with two cases reported on previously:
Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Sisolak, 140 S.Ct. 203 (2020) (see Holland & Knight s Religious Institutions Update: October 2020) and
South Bay Pentecostal Church v. Newsom, 140 S.Ct. 1613 (2020) (see Holland & Knight s Religious Institutions Update: July 2020). The court determined that the order was not neutral or generally applicable and thus was subject to strict scrutiny because it singled out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment. In addition, the court ruled that statements made in connection with the challenged rules could be viewed as targeting t
A San Diego federal judge for the third time has denied a Chula Vista church’s request for a court order that would remove the state’s restrictions on indoor worship amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Monday ruling adds to the winding legal history of the case, filed in May by South Bay United Pentecostal Church, although it essentially upholds the status quo.
In coming to her decision, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant acknowledged her role in drawing a “difficult balance between religious liberty and public health” while also taking into account “a rapidly evolving and escalating pandemic.”
“The Court does not doubt that not being able (to) congregate indoors imposes a burden on Plaintiffs’ religion,” Bashant wrote in the 25-page ruling. “Nevertheless, the Court also recognizes that the burden is a temporary one, with widespread vaccination in close sight. The Court concludes that it serves the public interest to continue to protect the population a
La corte niega el intento de la iglesia de Chula Vista de levantar la prohibición del culto en el interior sandiegouniontribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sandiegouniontribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SAN DIEGO (KUS) – Los Angeles County health officials announced Saturday they had modified their health orders to comply with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings calling for places of worship to be allowed to have outdoor and indoor services, with appropriate health safety precautions.
The ruling could have implications in San Diego County. Bishop Art Hodges from South Bay Pentecostal Church joined Good Morning San Diego to discuss worship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The church is currently awaiting a ruling on their Fed Dist Court hearing