Tuesday, April 14, 2020

KENTUCKY: FEDERAL JUDGE ISSUES RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST LOUISVILLE MAYOR WHO TRIED TO BAN DRIVE-IN WORSHIP ON EASTER SUNDAY

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FEDERAL JUDGE ISSUES RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST LOUISVILLE MAYOR WHO TRIED TO BAN DRIVE-IN WORSHIP ON EASTER SUNDAY 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 
purposes:

Mayor of Louisville, KY, Greg Fischer ordered police to harass church-goers on Easter Sunday at churches that are holding services during the coronavirus pandemic and planned to hold service on Easter Sunday by following them and writing down their license-plate numbers. The police were ordered to do this for churches that are holding services either inside or in the parking lot.







Christians are clearly being singled out during this pandemic by leftists activist politicians who are spending their efforts going after Christians — even if they’re following the CDC guidelines for social distancing — while leaving abortion clinics, liquor stores, and other clearly non-essential services alone.



One federal judge at least has some common sense and appreciation for the Constitution of the United States as he issued a restraining order against Mayor Fischer and the City of Louisville warning them that the move was unconstitutional. The full text of the restraining order can be seen at this link.


MEMORANDUM OPINION
On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter.That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopiannovel, or perhaps the pages of
The Onion
. But two days ago, citing the need for social distancingduring the current pandemic,
Louisville’s Mayor Greg Fischer 
 ordered Christians not to attendSunday services, even if they remained
in their cars
 to worship
 – 
 
and even though it’s
 Easter 
.
The Mayor’s decision is stunning.
And it is,
“beyond all reason
,
”
 unconstitutional.
10


The restraining order reads, rightfully so, that the government of Louisville “plans to substantially burden their religious practice on one of the most important holidays of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday,” hence the need for this restraining order. The ruling can be read below.


 
1UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTWESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKYON FIRE CHRISTIAN CENTER, INC. PLAINTIFFv. CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:20-CV-264-JRWGREG FISCHER, et al. DEFENDANTS
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
1.
 
The Court
GRANTS
 the motion for a temporary restraining order filed by On Fire
Christian Center, Inc. (“On Fire”)
 against Mayor Greg Fischer and the City of Louisville (together,
“
Louisville
”).
 2.
 
The Court
ENTERS
 this Temporary Restraining Order on Saturday, April 11, 2020at 2:00 P.M.
1
 3.
 
The Court
ENJOINS
 Louisville from enforcing; attempting to enforce; threateningto enforce; or otherwise requiring compliance with any prohibition on drive-in church services atOn Fire.
2
 4.
 
Unless the Court enters this Temporary Restraining Order, the members of On Firewill suffer irreparable harm.
3
 The government plans to substantially burden their religious practiceon one of the most important holidays of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday.
4
at