The 9th U.S. Circuit Court has denied a California church’s appeal. The judges concluded that the lower court was not in the wrong, but ordered it to reconsider its restrictions.
South Bay United Pentecostal Church and its senior bishop had sued Governor Gavin Newsom and California officials in May of last year. The church wanted to re-open, alleging that the governor’s Resilience Roadmap violated the First Amendment. The district court denied the request.
The judges said the church can succeed in challenging the attendance caps, and ordered the district court to take action on the capacity limit.
Reporting by David Lam
