South Bay United Pentecostal Church must limit its in-person worship services to 100 people after the U.S. Supreme Court denied its emergency appeal. The San Diego–area congregation sued to block California’s coronavirus-related restrictions limiting church attendance to 25 percent capacity with a maximum of 100. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the four liberal justices in rejecting the appeal late on Friday.
President Donald Trump on Friday called churches, synagogues, and mosques “essential,” insisting that governors allow them to reopen this weekend. He also said he’d “override” state leaders if they didn’t follow his instructions. During a trip to Michigan on Thursday, the president said he instructed federal health officials to release guidance to help churches reopen. “They’re going to be issuing something today or tomorrow on churches,” he said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We got to get our churches open.”
Some North Carolina churches met in their buildings for the first time in weeks on Sunday. A federal judge on Saturday blocked Gov. Roy Cooper’s order limiting indoor religious services to 10 people during the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic governor disagrees with the ruling but will not appeal, a spokesman said.
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