Colorado church asking Supreme Court for relief from Democratic governor's COVID restrictions

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 4

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A Colorado church is petitioning the Supreme Court for relief from coronavirus restrictions in the state, arguing that churches are treated less favorably than other establishments under the rules.

The High Plains Harvest Church and its pastor, Mark Hotaling, are seeking an injunction against a 50-person limit on houses of worship under Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Health and Environment Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan, pending an appellate review.

“The linchpin of the State’s attempted justification for discriminating against churches in favor of secular uses is that somehow churches are uniquely risky environments for spread of COVID-19,” the petition reads. “But the data are profoundly at odds with the State’s position.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks a news conference in Denver, Nov. 24., 2020. (Associated Press)

Based on geography, the petition will go to Justice Neil Gorsuch – who can choose to act alone on the matter or refer it to the full court.

Gorsuch Friday evening called for a response from Colorado officials by Wednesday, Dec. 9.

SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST CUOMO'S CORONAVIRUS LIMITS -- WITH BARRETT PLAYING KEY ROLE

Last week, in an opinion siding with Brooklyn’s Catholic Diocese against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus restrictions in areas facing spikes in new cases, Gorsuch chose strong words to defend religious freedom protections under the First Amendment.

“Government is not free to disregard the First Amendment in times of crisis,” he wrote in a concurring opinion. “At a minimum, that Amendment prohibits government officials from treating religious exercises worse than comparable secular activities, unless they are pursuing a compelling interest and using the least restrictive means available… Yet recently, during the COVID pandemic, certain States seem to have ignored these long-settled principles.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

States need to keep those principles in mind when drafting coronavirus precautions, he said.

“While the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques,” he wrote.

Fox News’ Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.