Noah Finnemmore, 5, sticks his head out of the sun roof during the Calvary Chapel drive-in service on Sunday. Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or donating directly to the newsroom . A federal judge on Saturday ruled that Gov. Janet Mills’ prohibition on in-person worship services does not violate the First Amendment. Calvary Chapel in Orrington and its pastor, Ken Graves, sued the governor in U.S. District Court in Bangor. The lawsuit alleged that Mills’ order violated the freedom of religion and assembly clauses of the First Amendment and other laws designed to protect houses of worship. It sought a temporary restraining order that would allow Calvary Chapel in-person services beginning Sunday and a permanent injunction to allow all congregations to worship as they did before the shutdown orders were imposed. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen in her 23-page ruling found, as have the vast majority of federal judges who ruled in similar cases, that prohibiting in-person worship services was in […]
