Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Court Upholds Newsom's Ban On Church Services
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Gov. Newsom's ban on in-person church services, but he plans to loosen restrictions in the coming days. Gabriel Cortes/LAist
()
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday night upheld Gov. Gavin Newsom's ban on in-person church services. The ruling came hours after Newsom said he planned to loosen restrictions on churches and religious gatherings in the coming days.
The vote was 2-1, with the dissenting vote coming from Judge Daniel Collins, who was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump. Judge Barry Silverman, nominated to the court by former President Bill Clinton, and Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, nominated by former President Barack Obama, voted to uphold Newsom's ban.
In his coronavirus briefing Friday, the governor said he recognizes the importance of religion during the pandemic:
"At a time of so much anxiety and uncertainty, faith and that devotion to something higher and better and bigger than yourself becomes even more pronounced and more profound and more important."
Support for LAist comes from
Meanwhile, more than a thousand pastors in California have said they plan to defy the state's order if restrictions on churches are not lifted by the end of the month.
John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Church in Sun Valley, announced that he opened his church on Friday, adding that no one will be wearing masks because we all know that “masks don’t work.” The megachurch usually hosts a crowd of 8,000 worshippers.
MAY 24 UPDATE: In light of the Ninth Court ruling, MacArthur's church decided to delay its reopening.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said MacArthur was a pastor in Orange County. In addition, we added the names of the other two judges, as well as which president nominated them to the position.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist