A San Francisco-based law firm is suing San Bernardino County over its order that residents must cover their faces in public and its ban on in-person religious gatherings. A letter sent by Dhillon Law Group on Wednesday, April 8, to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, says the order by acting Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson is “unconstitutional on numerous grounds.” The law group gave the county until 5 p.m. Thursday, April 9, to rescind the order and notify the public or they will file a federal lawsuit seeking immediate “injunctive relief.” According to Dhillon Law Group, the ban on in-person religious services violates the First Amendment. “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits government actors from enforcing any ‘law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’” states the letter signed by Harmeet K. Dhillon. Dhillon said the order is “overbroad and chills religious and expressive activity protected by the First Amendment” and that it relies on absent and inapplicable authority and violates the fundamental right to travel. Dhillon also argues the mandate to wear a mask has a “disproportionate impact upon the poor and those that cannot wear a mask for medical […]
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