The governor and two churches that sued over a stay-at-home order have reached a temporary truce in a case that entangles the coronavirus outbreak with issues of religious liberties. Wichita, Kansas — Gov. Laura Kelly filed a joint motion this weekend with two churches suing her over stay-at-home orders, signaling her first steps to reopen the Kansas economy and tamp down the fight over religious freedom. The motion filed in federal court Saturday night promises a new executive order from Kelly allowing large gatherings — including church services — as long as people stay six feet apart from each other and follow other protocols to check the spread of the coronavirus. That marks the governor’s latest compromise to prevent the close contact that could feed the spread of COVID-19 while gradually opening up commerce in the state. Kelly had faced a challenge tied up in legal technicalities against the backdrop of how far a chief executive could go to stem a public health crisis without violating constitutional rights of freedom to assembly and religion. In the joint filing with the churches who sued over her orders that said even church services were subject to 10 people or fewer, Kelly […]
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