Free Republic

Santa Clara County (SCC) residents earn the title for longest duration living under the strictest COVID rules in the nation. SCC's public health department (SCC DPH) director, Sara Cody, became the face of lockdown — the spokesperson to declare the nation's first Shelter-in-Place (SIP) order on March 16, 2020. SCC was first in the nation to enter lockdown, lowest for in-person schooling, highest in restrictions, highest in punitive fines, and last to ditch school mask mandates. While frequently lauded by her proponents for touting "safety first," she knew that "the efficacy of face masks and physical distancing hadn't been established...

'I will be appealing the conviction and charge. I will not allow their bullying tactics to break me or damper my spirit.'ELGIN COUNTY, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) – A Canadian nurse has vowed to appeal the $10,000 fine she received for attending an Easter church service during Ontario’s COVID lockdowns in the spring of 2021. “Here we are Canada, where you can be charged 10k for attending church. No other charges have been made against anyone else in attendance as of yet,” wrote Ontario nurse Kristen Nagle in an Instagram post late last month. Nagle – who used to work at London...

At 10:14 a.m. on July 4, 2022, a young man named Robert Crimo III allegedly aimed his rifle into the crowd at his hometown’s Independence Day parade and opened fire. Within moments, the Chicago suburban town of Highland Park was a scene of terrible carnage. Seven innocent people killed, more than 40 injured, at this writing. The alleged killer escaped the scene, but was caught that afternoon (we say “alleged,” because, while he has not yet been convicted, all sources agree that he was the perpetrator, without question). Compliments to the many law enforcement and medical professionals who dealt with...

Vindictive. That's the only way to categorize the actions of the City of Burbank after they had the power and phone lines cut from Tinhorn Flats, the oldest bar in town. How do we know it's vindictive and not for medical reasons? Because they did it two days before the ban on indoor dining was to be lifted... “You will comply.” That’s the message the city of Burbank is sending to Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill as well as every resident in their city. Anyone who is willing to cross them, as the oldest bar in the city has been...

The settlement with Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, which also includes another $400,000 from the state — avoids further litigation over the matter at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority has signaled that rights to religious practice indoors outweigh the interests of the state to compel places of worship to adhere to public health orders.. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 31, approved a $400,000 settlement with a San Fernando Valley church that had defied the county’s health order through the thick of the pandemic. The settlement with Grace Community Church in...

The city of Anaheim, California, canceled an “America First” rally to be led by Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Saturday, raising concerns that it is violating the First Amendment. A city spokesman cited “values” as the reason for canceling the rally, which violates the long-established constitutional principle that the government must be content-neutral with regard to any regulations applied to speech and assembly. “A planned America First rally at a private venue in our city is cancelled,” Mike Lyster, spokesman for the city of Anaheim said on Twitter. “The city of Anaheim shared public safety...

This week, a California District Court approved the settlement of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry's lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom, establishing the first state-wide permanent injunction in the country against COVID restrictions on churches and places of worship. The Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit religious rights law firm, represented Harvest Rock in their legal proceedings against the governor and the state. Under the settlement agreement, discriminatory restrictions on worship and religious gatherings may no longer be applied to churches and places of worship. According to the permanent injunction, churches and places of worship may never again have discriminatory restrictions...

Police have placed roadblocks and fencing around GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta in an effort to prevent worshippers from accessing the building. According to The Post Millennial, law enforcement officers descended upon the property early Wednesday morning. The exact reason for the blockade is unknown at this time. GraceLife made headlines earlier this year after the church's pastor, James Coates was jailed for holding in-person worship services amid ongoing pandemic restrictions. As CBN News has reported, after spending a month behind bars for violating the government's capacity mandates, Coates was released from jail on March 29. Pastor Coates's wife, Erin...

Attorneys for Grace Community Church in Los Angeles filed documents in court Friday, the latest move in their continuing fight to defend their right to gather for indoor worship services. The church, which has repeatedly made headlines since its leadership decided to resume services last July in defiance of state and local health mandates, was issued an injunction last September by L.A. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff that ordered them against holding indoor services. The injunction also required that congregants wear masks and socially distance even during outdoor services. Grace Community Church and its legal representation will be in court...

One of Jesus’s last acts before his crucifixion was the incident we know as “the cleansing of the temple,” when he thew the money changers out of the Temple in Jerusalem for defiling God’s house. That image came inexorably to my mind when I saw the video of a Canadian pastor, through sheer force of will, sending eight COVID cops, many of them armed, out of the church. Visually, the video is simple but compelling. The church is on the second story of a building with a stairway leading directly from the front door up to the place where the...

A Canadian pastor stood up to police who disrupted his service and shamed them into leaving. Nazis are not welcome here! Do not come back you Nazi psychopaths. Unbelievable sick, evil people. Intimidating people in a church during the Passover! You Gestapo, Nazi, communist fascists! Don’t you dare come back here!” “Can you imagine those psychopaths? Passover. The holiest Christian festival of the year and they’re coming to intimidate Christians during the holiest festival? Unbelievable. What is wrong with those sick psychopaths. It’s beyond me. How dare they,” he continued. The police appear completely cowed by the force of his...

Late last night the Supreme Court issued an injunction stopping California’s ban on indoor worship in churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship, that it claimed were dangerous because of the coronavirus. The Court ruled in two cases, South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom and Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom. Both churches sued California Governor Gavin Newsom, challenging the state’s total ban on indoor worship services—the most extreme in the nation—which targeted churches for closure while allowing non-essential retail stores such as Macy’s to open to hundreds of customers, as well as hair salons, nail salons, and Hollywood soundstages....

Paul Sperry @paulsperry_ DEVELOPING: Democrats in both the House and Senate are planning to draft legislation to classify MAGA rallies as "domestic terrorist activity" and require the FBI, DOJ & DHS to take steps to prevent such "domestic terrorism." Sen. Durbin is leading effort along with Rep Schneider https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1348488262210498560

Oregon has lifted capacity limits on religious gatherings following a series of US Supreme Court orders that indicated Oregon’s restrictions were likely unconstitutional. The change was made in the “Sector Risk Level Guidance Chart” of restrictions published by the Oregon Health Authority in a low-profile footnote that “Capacity limits for faith institutions are recommended only.” Although the Governor’s COVID-19 website has not been updated as of this morning, OHA documents say this change was effective Friday, December 18, 2020. Other requirements, such as maintaining six feet of social distance between households, regular sanitation, and wearing masks are still applicable. This...

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A three-member U.S. appeals court panel appeared sympathetic Tuesday to arguments by lawyers for two Nevada churches that say state COVID-19 restrictions treating churches differently than casinos and other secular businesses violate their First Amendment rights. The 9th Circuit panel in San Francisco heard arguments via video from lawyers for Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley east of Reno and Cavalry Chapel Lone Mountain in Las Vegas who want the appellate court to reverse earlier district court rulings upholding hard attendance caps Gov. Steve Sisolak has set on the size of indoor worship services. They say churches should...

On Nov. 10, in Spell v. Edwards, a Louisiana federal district court dismissed a suit by megachurch pastor Tony Spell challenging the state's COVID-19 limits on worship services. Plaintiff filed an Emergency Application for an Injunction Pending Appeal with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, contending: This case presents a threshold question that other applicants did not present to this Court in prior religious liberty challenges: Whether the First Amendment places the decision of whether to assemble solely within the jurisdiction of the Church and not the State.

Santa Clara County is suing a San Jose-based church in an attempt to bring the church into compliance with the county's COVID-19 health orders. The county District Attorney's Office and County Counsel filed a joint action in Superior Court this week targeting Calvary Chapel San Jose, an evangelical Christian church. County attorneys allege the church has been hosting weekly indoor church services that draw 600 people without any use of masks or social distancing. Under Santa Clara County's current health order, attendance at indoor religious gatherings is capped at 100 people, and places of worship must implement mask and social...

A federal judge granted Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s request for a preliminary injunction against Mayor Muriel Bowser allowing the congregation to resume worship services in the District of Columbia. “The Court determines that the church is likely to succeed in proving that the District’s actions violate [the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993] RFRA,” wrote U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Trevor McFadden in a decision late Friday. “The District’s current restrictions substantially burden the church’s exercise of religion. More, the District has failed to offer evidence at this stage showing that it has a compelling interest...

Haredim, as ultra-Orthodox Jews are called, translates to “those who tremble.” But as New York’s leaders are learning, the Haredim tremble before God—not politicians. This week they are protesting in the street and courts against new harsh lockdown restrictions on ZIP codes in Brooklyn, Queens, Binghamton, and Rockland and Orange Counties, including several Haredi neighborhoods. Imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, the rules also shut down schools, restaurants, bars and gyms. But the Governor singled out religious institutions in “hot zones” for special limits. No more than 10 people allowed. A quorum of 10 men is the bare minimum...