The Trump administration is supporting a church’s federal lawsuit challenging the District of Columbia’s pandemic-related restrictions that limit church gatherings–even those outdoors—to 100 people. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a document called a statement of interest in the legal proceeding initiated by Capitol Hill Baptist Church, arguing the District government limit on the size of church gatherings runs afoul of the First Amendment to the Constitution and federal law.
The lawsuit, launched Sept. 22 and known as Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Bowser, claims that religious organizations such as the church are being clamped down on unfairly while political protests such as those held by Black Lives Matter and other First Amendment-protected activities are allowed to operate freely. “Since its founding in 1878, CHBC has met in-person every Sunday except for three weeks during the Spanish Flu in 1918,” Pastor Justin Sok said in a statement at the time. …
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