Federal courthouse building in downtown San Diego.(San Diego Union-Tribune) Federal courthouse building in downtown San Diego. SAN DIEGO — A federal judge declined on Friday to allow a small Campo-based Christian church to assemble for Easter services on Sunday, turning aside a lawsuit the church had filed against San Diego County that alleged the public health orders banning group gatherings discriminated against religion. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant turned down the request for a temporary restraining order against the county from Abiding Place Ministries. The church had filed a suit Thursday contending the public health order issued Wednesday that banned public or private gatherings of more than one person was unconstitutional and too broad, violating the religious freedom of the church. The county’s order, the latest in a series aimed at combating the COVID-19 epidemic, said all gatherings were banned with exceptions for gathering of a single family or household, essential businesses, and public spaces where people are in transit and can maintain social distancing. In the suit, the church argued that the order specifically prohibited religious gatherings but “allows gatherings for a multitude of businesses and activities that are not constitutionally protected, only requiring them to enact social […]
