{"id":320180,"date":"2021-03-26T17:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T21:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=320180"},"modified":"2021-03-26T17:00:41","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T21:00:41","slug":"judge-smacks-down-d-c-attendance-caps-on-churches-in-time-for-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-smacks-down-d-c-attendance-caps-on-churches-in-time-for-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Smacks Down D.C. Attendance Caps On Churches In Time For Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-smacks-down-d-c-attendance-caps-on-churches-in-time-for-easter%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=320180&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3818.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>A federal district judge ruled Thursday that Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser\u2019s 25 percent capacity or 250-person attendance cap on churches was discriminatory and unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Trevor N. McFadden, finding the District\u2019s percentage restrictions on houses of worship at odds with 37 other states, ruled that Bowser and her government are enjoined from enforcing them. Until the order, the District of Columbia was the only jurisdiction in the United States with a numerical cap on houses of worship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefendants, their agents, employees, and successors in office are hereby enjoined from enforcing their 250-person and 25 percent capacity restrictions as to houses of worship operated by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington (\u2018Archdiocese\u2019) insofar as they require the Archdiocese to turn away individuals that it could admit while adhering to all the District\u2019s and its own other pandemic-related limitations,\u201d read McFadden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com\/ADW-v-Bowser-order-March-25-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">order<\/a>, which comes just days before the start of Holy Week.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"8.5534591194969\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BREAKING<\/a>: D.C\u2019s discriminatory 250-person cap and 25% limit on church services are ending just in time for the Easter season. A federal district judge ruled that D.C.\u2019s limits are unconstitutional &amp; an outlier in comparison to the rest of the country. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RRDdNKVlpG\">https:\/\/t.co\/RRDdNKVlpG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BECKET (@BECKETlaw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BECKETlaw\/status\/1375251090833342464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 26, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The ruling was in response to a <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/becketnewsite\/ADW-v.-Bowser-Complaint-as-filed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lawsuit<\/a> the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. filed against Bowser in December after she capped church attendance to 50 people regardless of building size. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in northeast D.C, the lawsuit noted, is the largest Catholic church in the United States \u2014 capable of holding two Statues of Liberty. In response to the lawsuit, Bowser <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/dc-mayor-muriel-bowser-catholic-archdiocese-reach-christmas-truce-on-attendance-limits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">raised<\/a> the limit to 25 percent capacity or 250 people, whichever is fewer.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"7.9259259259259\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">But imposing numerical caps on houses of worship is still hugely unfair. Half of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WashArchdiocese?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WashArchdiocese<\/a> churches can accommodate 500 or more people. The basilica by itself could house TWO Statues of Liberty. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rNXxKsu8OT\">pic.twitter.com\/rNXxKsu8OT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BECKET (@BECKETlaw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BECKETlaw\/status\/1375253338242097154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 26, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In his extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com\/ADW-v-Bowser-opinion-March-25-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">opinion<\/a>, which repeatedly referenced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/supreme-court-backs-religious-challenge-to-cuomos-covid-restrictions-barrett-delivers-decisive-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Supreme Court\u2019s November ruling<\/a> in <em>Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo<\/em>, McFadden noted the disparity of the District\u2019s restrictions on churches compared to other establishments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough the District\u2019s capacity restrictions are not as harsh as New York\u2019s were, they still discriminate against houses of worship,\u201d he wrote, noting that big-box stores are not subject to a maximum-capacity limitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn practical terms, this means that the Archdiocese\u2019s churches must stop admitting parishioners once they become a quarter full, but Whole Foods or Target can take in as many customers as they wish while complying with social-distancing requirements,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the Archdiocese points out, what is important is that the District\u2019s 25 percent and 250-person restrictions would not apply to its churches if they hawked wares instead of proclaimed the Gospel,\u201d McFadden added.<\/p>\n<p>McFadden\u2019s order does not remove the city\u2019s rules regarding mask wearing and social distancing.<\/p>\n<p>A Trump-appointed judge, McFadden has also ruled in favor of D.C. churches before when he presided over the lawsuit that the prominent Capitol Hill Baptist Church brought against Bowser last October, which offered arguments similar to those the Archdiocese made. As The Daily Wire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/judge-rules-in-favor-of-capitol-hill-baptist-church-in-lawsuit-against-d-c-mayor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> at the time:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"26.31859883236\">\n<p><em>\u201cIt is for the&nbsp;church, not the District or this court, to define for itself the meaning of \u2018not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,\u2019\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2020cv2710-43\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote Trump-appointed&nbsp;Judge Trevor McFadden<\/a>, referencing a verse in the Book of Hebrews that commands Christians to gather together for worship.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>According to the ruling, CHBC is allowed to resume outdoor gatherings with certain precautions.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>As The Daily Wire reported, CHBC filed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/context-cdn.washingtonpost.com\/notes\/prod\/default\/documents\/eecc2501-3017-43a4-97fd-c8b7f579497c\/note\/2cf9ae61-0a27-41f8-aa3a-d0cc4d520c0d.#page=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a lawsuit<\/a>&nbsp;last month against Bowser in U.S. District Court alleging that the District government is showing preferential treatment in how it enforces the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5dc.com\/news\/dc-mayor-muriel-bowser-to-extend-state-of-emergency-into-october\">repeatedly extended<\/a> lockdown orders.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe Court determines that the Church is likely to succeed in proving that the District\u2019s actions violate RFRA,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cThe District\u2019s current restrictions substantially burden the Church\u2019s exercise of religion. More, the District has failed to offer evidence at this stage showing that it has a compelling interest in preventing the Church from meeting outdoors with appropriate precautions, or that this prohibition is the least-restrictive means to achieve its interest. The Court will therefore grant the Church\u2019s motion for injunctive relief.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Related<\/strong>: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/d-c-mayor-muriel-bowsers-petty-hypocritical-tyranny-must-stop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser\u2019s Petty, Hypocritical Tyranny Must Stop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\">&nbsp;<i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal district judge ruled Thursday that Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser\u2019s 25 percent capacity or 250-person attendance cap on churches was discriminatory and unconstitutional.Judge Trevor N. McFadden, finding the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2311221,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3818.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Judge Smacks Down D.C. Attendance Caps On Churches In Time For Easter","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-320180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-3818.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Judge Smacks Down D.C. Attendance Caps On Churches In Time For Easter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}