(FAITHWIRE) – One can only guess why Nevada’s governor thought people meeting in a church were more dangerous as COVID spreaders than people gathering in casinos or bowling alleys. But when Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak issued an edict saying only 50 people could meet in a church, but casinos could have up to 50-percent capacity, Calvary Chapel in Dayton, decided to resist and object to the obvious discrimination.
The lower District Court ruled against the church. But an appeal to the 9th Circuit led to a three-judge panel last December ruling in favor of Calvary Chapel, saying that the government could have imposed limitations on churches similar to those imposed on other entities like retail stores, while still achieving the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19, The Nevada Independent reported.
The court ruled Calvary Chapel’s claim that its First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion had been hindered by the State would likely succeed on the merits. At the time of the December 2020 9th Circuit ruling, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman representing the church called it a “significant win.”
