High Court Halts California Virus Rules Limiting Home Worship

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that have limited home-based religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings.

The order from the court late Friday is the latest in a recent string of cases in which the high court has barred officials from enforcing some coronavirus-related restrictions applying to religious gatherings.

Five conservative justices agreed California’s restrictions limiting home-based worship should be lifted for now, while the court’s three liberals and Chief Justice John Roberts would not have done so.

The case involved two residents of Santa Clara County in the San Francisco area who want to host small, in-person Bible study sessions in their homes.