First Liberty



Louisville Church Officially Cleared to Hold Drive-In Services After
Reaching Agreement with Mayor

Today, First Liberty Institute, WilmerHale, and Swansburg & Smith,
PLLC reached an agreement on behalf of our client On Fire Christian
Church, and Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer that officially
allows the church to hold drive-in services consistent with CDC
guidelines.

This important victory comes nearly two weeks after U.S. District
Court Judge Justin Walker originally granted a temporary restraining
order (TRO) that prevented enforcement of an order blocking On
Fire's plans for a drive-in service on Easter, saying it
violated the Free Exercise clause "'beyond all
question.'"

Now, with today's agreement, On Fire Christian Church's
ability to hold drive-in church services has become permanent.

"We are grateful to Mayor Fischer and Louisville city officials
who worked with us to ensure their policies are both consistent with
the Constitution and the CDC's guidelines," said FLI
Senior Counsel Roger Byron. "During this challenging time, we
need to see more of this kind of cooperation between government
officials and the religious community."

The victory is a welcome gift of good news after vandals attacked the
church this past weekend, leaving nails at the entrance/exit area of
the church property while the Sunday drive-in worship service was
underway.

Byron added, "The members of On Fire Christian Church are
saddened by this crime. We hope today's agreement will end the
violence against the church."

Today's agreement cannot be understated. It was is the"first
lawsuit heard around the nation" during the pandemic and set
the first in the nation precedent for protecting and defending our
local churches and faith communities during this current crisis.
It's also First Liberty's second critical victory this past week.

While we are grateful for the victory, these attacks go to show that
enemies of religious liberty will stop at nothing to harass and
intimidate people of faith, even in the midst of a global pandemic. We
are committed to leading the fight against this hostility, which is
why we need your support now more than ever.

Churches are essential to their communities-especially in times
of distress and uncertainty-and must be able to serve without
fear of government discrimination. With your support, we will continue
defending churches and houses of worship, both in the current crisis
and beyond.


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