First Liberty



First Liberty Scores Powerful Victory To Save Drive-In Church Services
During Historic Easter Weekend

Leading the Nation's Effort to Ensure Cooperation of Church & State
During COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear John,

This Easter weekend will surely go down as one of the most historic
with regard to the current and future "health and safety"
of religious liberty in our country.

And once again, we're leading the fight because supporters like
you continue to stand strong with us during this critical time. While
churches and houses of worship are doing all they can to serve and
help, including following the CDC guidelines, some public officials
are trying to go much further and actually discriminate against
churches and religious organizations.

On Saturday, we scored a very important and powerful legal victory to
help protect ALL churches during this pandemic. Thanks to the untiring
efforts of our attorneys, this weekend we sought and the U.S. District
Court in Louisville, KY granted a temporary restraining order (TRO)
preventing Louisville, KY Mayor Greg Fischer from blocking On
Fire Church from holding its drive-in services on Easter Sunday.

In his decision, Judge Justin Walker wrote the following: in his
opinion

"On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal
celebration of Easter. That sentence is one that this Court never
expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the
pages of The Onion. But two days ago, citing the need for social
distancing during the current pandemic, Louisville's Mayor Greg
Fischer ordered Christians not to attend Sunday services, even if they
remained in their cars to worship-and even though it's Easter. The
Mayor's decision is stunning. And it is, "beyond all reason,"
unconstitutional.

You can read his entire order here:
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With all the attacks against churches going on right now during the
"new normal," this is the first legal decision to put a stop to this type
of shocking-and on-going- overreach by government officials. This
is significant.

To think that local police officers would stand in church parking lots
to record license plate numbers of all Easter weekend
churchgoers-even though they were strictly adhering to CDC
guidelines-is absurd!

But wait, there's more.

First Liberty also sent a demand letter on behalf of Pastor Charleston
Hamilton and King James Bible Baptist Church in Greenville, MS, urging
their local mayor, Errick Simmons, to withdraw an order that targets
churches holding CDC compliant drive-in services.

Watch for yourself on this incredible interview we did on Saturday
with Tucker Carlson:
[link removed]

While in the church parking lot, a police officer even told Pastor
Hamilton "Your rights are SUSPENDED." As Americans, we can
tolerate a lot. But even though we are in the midst of a pandemic
that's unlike anything we've ever seen before, it's essential that we
protect religious liberty with renewed vigilance during this crisis.

And while we will tolerate temporary state-mandated restrictions for
the sake of demonstrating love for our fellow man, we will not-nor
should not-tolerate churchgoers being ticketed by the police for
following CDC guidelines at church.

We believe the work we are doing right now is vital for our freedoms
and our country. If you would consider supporting this work at such a
critical time, we would be grateful.

In closing, let me say that it's been both an honor and privilege to be
serving you right now during these uncertain times. As we continue
to battle on the frontlines over these coming months, we will
continue to offer our prayers and support for you and your family.

I urge you to please contact us if there's anyway we can support
you in this time of need.

Remember, we're All In this together.

Gratefully, 
Kelly

Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute 


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