In Spell v. Edwards, (MD LA, Nov. 19, 2020), a Louisiana federal district court dismissed a suit by a pastor challenging the state’s COVID-19 limits on worship services. The court held that plaintiffs’ claim for injunctive relief is moot because the specific Proclamation they challenge has expired. The court also dismissed plaintiffs’ claim for damages, saying in part:
Governor Edwards’s Proclamations have always treated comparable secular institutions similarly to comparable religious institutions….
To the extent that Plaintiffs argue that any restrictions on their right to gather violate the U.S. Constitution, they are clearly incorrect.
The Advocate reports on the decision.