Judge rejects NM megachurch’s request to ease in-person worship restrictions

A judge has rejected a New Mexico megachurch’s request to ease state restrictions on in-person worship gatherings amid the state’s ongoing lockdown orders in response to COVID-19.

Legacy Church, an Albuquerque-based multi-site congregation of about 20,000 members, sued New Mexico in April, arguing that restrictions on in-person gatherings violated their First Amendment rights.

The church sought both a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction against a series of public health orders, believing they placed an unfair burden on their religious practices.

U.S. District Court Judge James Browning on Monday ruled against both requests in the case, known as Legacy Church v. Kunkel and the state of New Mexico.

Browning concluded that the various public health orders did not show an inherent animus toward religious groups, but rather included similar restrictions on secular entities as well.

“… as the coronavirus threat ebbs and flows, New Mexico must ensure that its Public Health Orders remain…