Free Republic

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Tony Spell, the Central Pastor who continued to hold church services in defiance of restrictions Gov. John Bel Edwards imposed to stop the spread of COVID. Overruling lower courts, the justices ruled that the restrictions on gatherings and the stay-at-home mandate Edwards imposed were unconstitutional. They ordered the charges against Spell quashed. Justices John Weimer and Scott Chrichton dissented on the ruling.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has rejected a request from a Louisiana pastor who’d sought emergency relief from criminal charges he faces for the apparent crime of holding large church services in contravention of the state’s coronavirus rules. ... As the months passed, Spell wound up accruing three additional charges, making for a total of nine. Now fast-forward to last week, when he filed a motion with Justice Alito requesting an injunction against the charges he faces. ... For reasons that remain unclear, Alito outright rejected the request — meaning it won’t receive a full hearing in the Supreme Court...

For people of faith demoralized by coercive shutdown policies, that raises a question: If officials are now exempting protesters, how can they justify continuing to restrict worshippers? The answer is that they can’t. Government does not have carte blanche, even in a pandemic, to pick and choose which First Amendment rights are “open” and which remain “closed.” Instead, laws that burden religion while exempting the non-religious must pass strict scrutiny. SeeChurch of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520, 546 (1993). The burden on religion “must be justified by a compelling governmental interest,” and the...

CENTRAL — A Central pastor who has defied government orders to limit crowds to 50 people or fewer, was arrested on six counts of violating the governor's order, after authorities say he's continued to hold large services. Pastor Tony Spell’s arrest on Tuesday follows weeks of city and state leaders urging that he suspend services at Life Tabernacle Church in Central amid a surge in fatal coronavirus cases in Louisiana and East Baton Rouge Parish. "He will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community," said Central Police Chief...