RENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of two Nevada churches that say the state's COVID-19 restrictions violate their First Amendment rights.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees with the churches in Las Vegas and rural Lyon County that the state's limits are unconstitutional because they place harsher attendance limits on religious gatherings than casinos and other secular businesses.
The appellate court reversed earlier federal court rulings Tuesday that upheld Nevada's hard cap on the size of worship services.
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It instructed the district judges to preliminary enjoin Nevada from imposing attendance limits for churches stricter than those for other gatherings or businesses.