Supreme Court rejects Nevada church plea to allow larger congregation

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Nevada church’s request to block the state’s cap on attendees for religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The court voted 5 to 4 against the request, filed by Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the liberal-leaning justices. The decision keeps in place a limit of 50 people in houses of worship due to the pandemic.

The church had argued the cap was an unfair attack on its First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion. It pointed out that the state allowed higher caps for restaurants and casinos — 50 percent capacity — but would not let its 90-person congregation assemble, even with social distancing protocols. A federal court upheld the state’s policy, and the church sought an appeal last month at the 9th Circuit.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/24/supreme-court-nevada-church-coronavirus-381409