Chicago, California Churches Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court over State Bans –

The legal battle over government-mandated closure of churches is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Liberty Counsel filed an appeal Wednesday to the high court on behalf of Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church, a Chicago church that is being threatened with closure for defying a state order that bans church gatherings larger than 10 people. Liberty Counsel also is representing Logos Baptist Ministries.

Meanwhile, Thomas More Society filed an appeal to the Supreme Court over the weekend on behalf of South Bay Pentecostal Church, a Chula Vista, Calif., congregation that’s also under state restrictions.

Either case could resolve the nationwide legal debate over the state-mandated closure of churches during the coronavirus pandemic.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has given the state of Illinois until Thursday night to respond to Liberty Counsel’s appeal. Kavanaugh handles emergency applications from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Illinois. 

Supreme Court Justice Elana Kagan, who handles emergency applications from the Ninth Circuit, also gave California until Thursday night to respond.

The churches argue they can meet safely while practicing social distancing and following health guidelines. The briefs argue the closures violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. 

Appeals courts have split on the issue of church closures, with the Seventh…