People wave to each other at the end of the Easter Sunday service at St. James Catholic Church, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., April 4, 2021. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud Minnesota has resolved a lawsuit by two Minnesota churches challenging the state’s restrictions on the size of indoor services meant to stop the spread of COVID-19, agreeing that any future restrictions would treat churches no differently from stores or entertainment venues, the plaintiffs announced Thursday. The settlement comes after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright in Minnesota denied the state’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims in March, finding it was unclear whether churches were being treated less favorably than other venues in the state. "All Minnesotans should be encouraged that their religious freedoms are protected by the U.S. Constitution and that there is no ‘pandemic exception’ to the First Amendment allowing our state officials to prevent them from assembling and worshipping free of discriminatory and irrational restrictions," James Dickey of the Upper Midwest Law Center, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. "The state imposed necessary restrictions on gathering for in-person worship, which have since been lifted, so the case is now moot," Minnesota […]
