The Trump Department of Justice has sided with a small Virginia church in its effort to hold in-person church services for society’s disadvantaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pastor of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Va., was cited with a criminal citation April 5 for holding a 16-person church service, even though each attendee in the 225-seat sanctuary was sitting at least six feet apart and the church had sanitized the common surfaces and required everyone to use hand sanitizer, DOJ says.
An order from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam bans in-person gatherings of more than 10 people.
The Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest May 3 urging a Virginia federal court to issue an injunction favoring the church. It questions why Virginia carves out exceptions for liquor stores, home improvement stores, and dry cleaners but not churches.
“For many people of faith, exercising religion is essential, especially during a crisis,” said Eric Dreiband, the DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “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 U.S. Department of Justice will continue to monitor any infringement of the Constitution and other civil liberties, and…
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