After months of attempting to persuade D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (shown) to grant them an exception to her draconian virus-inspired restrictions on in-person meetings by churches, the Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) filed suit in September . The church said, “Meeting in-person as one congregation is a deeply-held conviction for which there is no substitute. Our simple desire is to have a community and one that meets together safely.… CHBC has applied for multiple waivers to the policy but District officials refused to provide CHBC with a waiver beyond 100 persons as part of a mass gathering.” On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden sided with the church, issui n g a temporary injunction against Bowser’s attempts to enforce her edicts. He wrote: The Court determines that the Church is likely to succeed in proving that the District’s actions violate RFRA (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed in 1993 governing D.C. and other federal districts). The District’s current restrictions substantially burden the Church’s exercise of religion. In addition, The District has failed to offer evidence … showing that it has a compelling interest in preventing the church from meeting outdoors with appropriate precautions, or that its prohibition is […]
