Five years after the government’s overreaction to COVID-19, shutting down the country, one church in California is still facing a fine for defying government orders.
Calvary Chapel San Jose refused to comply with Governor Gavin Newsom’s and Santa Clara County’s orders to restrict indoor worship services while allowing exemptions for secular activities. Pastor Mike McClure kept the church open and didn’t require members to wear masks or maintain a “safe” distance.
Courts ruled that Calvary Chapel must pay the government over $1.2 million in accrued fines for violating government mandates.
Calvary Chapel has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents the church, said the high court should take the case “to clarify that restrictions on religious worship services trigger strict scrutiny…”
Restricting a church’s worship services, while allowing exceptions for secular activities, triggers a strict scrutiny level of judicial review.
Any law that infringes upon a First Amendment right must be facially neutral or be subjected to strict scrutiny, “a standard that is extremely hard to satisfy.” In this case, the government appeared to target Calvary Chapel over its religious beliefs.
ACLJ argues that the high court could also find that the church autonomy doctrine “shields not just the selection of ministerial personnel but also a religious body’s managing of its religious rituals.”
Calvary Chapel also takes exception to the excessive fine for its religious beliefs concerning worship services.
In the present climate, the Supreme Court may be inclined to protect the church’s constitutional rights, which is good for all worshipers. Otherwise, Christians will once again face government suppression during the next pandemic.
