California Church Loses Appeal Over County Covid-19 Restrictions

A California federal court overseeing Calvary Chapel San Jose’s lawsuit over Santa Clara County’s Covid-19 public health restrictions properly abstained from ruling on its merits while a similar suit played out in state court, the Ninth Circuit said.

In a short, non-precedential ruling, the appellate court also said the church’s First Amendment retaliation claim against a county attorney was appealed too early because the case had not yet reached a final judgment.

The case before a three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is one in a string of lawsuits from churches arguing that California’s ...