(ChurchLeaders) In a 2-1 ruling yesterday, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency injunction in a religious-liberties case involving Harvest Rock Church, a nondenominational congregation in Pasadena, California. The majority opinion rejected the church’s claim that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic-related restrictions on indoor worship gatherings discriminate against religious expression.
Liberty Counsel, the nonprofit group representing Harvest Rock, says the legal fight isn’t over. Thursday’s ruling involved only the emergency injunction; next up, the court will hear arguments related to the request for a preliminary injunction.