Justice Department Intervenes in Mississippi Church Lawsuit

From the story: The Justice Department is siding with Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., after Greenville police officers began issuing $500 tickets to congregants who refused to leave a parking lot where the church was holding a drive-in service. In the statement of interest obtained exclusively by Fox News on Tuesday, the Justice Department said the U.S. regularly files statements of interest on “important issues of religious liberty in courts at every level, from trial courts to the Supreme Court of the United States.” It noted that Attorney General Bill Barr has “issued comprehensive guidance interpreting religious-liberty protections” under the Constitution (Fox News).  

Ted Cruz writes in an op-ed “While cities have the authority to prevent large gatherings during a pandemic, they can’t permanently ban faith communities. And while public health may require a city to prohibit in-person gatherings, it is an absurdity to apply that ban to First Amendment-protected drive-through church services” (NY Post).