Dept. of Justice Supports Drive-In Church Services in Statement to Court on Greenville, Miss. Lawsuit
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit against the City of Greensville, Mississippi, expressing support for the allowance of drive-in church services in the midst of the coronavirus crisis and opining that the City appeared to “target religious conduct.”
“Under strict scrutiny, the city has the burden to demonstrate that prohibiting the small church here from holding the drive-in services at issue here — services where attendees are required to remain in their cars in the church parking lot at all times with their windows rolled up and spaced consistent with CDC guidelines — is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling interest. As of now, it seems unlikely that the city will be able to carry that burden,” the DOJ wrote.
It noted that even though churches are deemed essential, the City prevents them from holding services even if abiding by CDC and state guidelines.
The DOJ also pointed out that the City of Greensville “appears to permit citizens to sit in a ‘car at a drive-in restaurant with [their] windows rolled down,’ but not ‘at a drive-in church service with [their] windows rolled up.’”
Read the statement of interest in full here.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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