(ChurchLeaders) Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling late Friday, California issued new guidelines for indoor church services, and many congregations immediately resumed in-person worship. The high court ruled 6-3 in favor of religious rights, granting the emergency request of two churches that have been fighting pandemic-related restrictions set by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
SCOTUS didn’t overrule all of California’s limitations, however. Justices said the state still can cap attendance at 25% of a building’s capacity and ban singing and chanting to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “We will continue to enforce the restrictions the Supreme Court left in place,” says the governor’s press secretary.