Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks during an unveiling ceremony for Rumors of War, a statue by artist Kehinde Wiley, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on December 10, 2019, in Richmond, Virginia. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit leveled by a church against Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam over previous coronavirus pandemic restrictions on in-person worship attendance. In an order issued last week , U.S. District Court Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen ruled against the lawsuit brought by Lighthouse Fellowship Church of Chincoteague Island. At issue were executive orders passed by Northam last year that greatly limited in-person gatherings, including worship services at houses of worship. Lighthouse was cited for violating the orders. Allen concluded in part that the lawsuit was moot since the earlier executive orders had been replaced by new orders that allowed for larger in-person worship gatherings in Virginia. Allen also concluded that Northam was immune from being sued due to the Eleventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which reads: “The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by […]
