Governor Gavin Newsom

A group of church leaders and members in California are suing Governor Gavin Newsom over his Coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

A few weeks ago Newsom ordered a shelter-in-place for California and only allowed people to leave their homes for “essential” reasons such as grocery shopping.

The pastors are suing to get Newsom’s lockdown order declared unconstitutional.

TMZ reported:

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A group of pastors and church members filed the suit claiming religious services are “essential for the spiritual health of the congregation so that the congregants can exhort one another during these difficult times.” In the docs, obtained by TMZ, one pastor believes they can hold services so long as they abide by social distancing tips recommended by the CDC … like keeping congregants at least 6 feet apart and requiring they wear masks and gloves. The leaders claim California’s “shelter-at-home” mandate coupled with its “essential workforce” criteria has denied religious groups their fundamental right to continue congregating. One of the pastors was fined $1,000 for holding a Palm Sunday service.

Courtesy of Harmeet Dhillon:

Lawsuit we just filed — Gov. Gavin Newsom Sued by Church Leaders Over Lockdown Restrictions https://t.co/qKI53X2XLf via @TMZ — Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) April 13, 2020

Churches across the country are fighting back after Mayors and Governors threatened to fine or imprison pastors and parishioners for attending drive-in services.

A judge on Saturday granted a temporary restraining order against Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s drive-in church ban on behalf of On Fire Christian Church.

The Justice Department spox on Saturday warned state and local officials that Attorney General Bill Barr is monitoring government regulation of religious services.

“Expect action from the DOJ next week!” Justice Department spox Kerri Kupec said on Saturday.

Paging AG Barr!