A federal judge on Friday granted a temporary restraining order against Democrat Governor Andy Beshear and said Kentucky churches can hold -in-person services.
Judge Greg Van Tatenhove ruled in favor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky and argued the Democrat Governor’s ban of church services was unconstitutional, reported WHAS.
WHAS ABC reported:
A federal judge has made a late-night ruling, saying churches in Kentucky can hold in-person services on Sunday. This comes two weeks before Governor Andy Beshear said those services could resume on May 20.
Attorney General Cameron released the following statement regarding the rulings by two federal courts:
“Two federal courts tonight issued orders, in two separate cases, against Governor Beshear’s unconstitutional executive orders prohibiting religious services. Both rulings affirm that the law prohibits the government from treating houses of worship differently than secular activities during this pandemic.
Freedom of religion, enshrined in the founding documents of our nation and our Commonwealth, has been affirmed many times over by our judiciary and was once again upheld tonight. The rulings should serve as a reminder that the pillars of our nation stand strong even in the midst of a crisis and are not to be ignored, cast aside, or downplayed, regardless of the circumstances.
I encourage all houses of worship to prayerfully and carefully consider when it is the right time to resume in-person services consistent with health guidelines. Although these rulings protect the religious liberty of Kentuckians, we must continue to do our part to protect the health of our fellow citizens by reopening carefully.”
Last month the state of Kentucky cracked down on Easter weekend worshippers by recording the license plates of people who attend services and forcing them to “self-quarantine” for two weeks afterwards.
Democrat Governor Andy Beshear announced the effort on the Friday before Easter, saying that the state “will be recording the license plates of those who show up to any mass gatherings and provide that information to the local health departments, who will in turn order those individuals to be quarantined for 14 days,”
Churches and pastors fought back against the tyranny and sued Governor Beshear.
Two federal courts ruled against Beshear on Friday, releasing the shackles of tyranny (for now).