Barr to local leaders: Don’t target churches

Local governments have the right to restrict people’s movements to slow the spread of COVID-19, but they cannot place churches under harsher rules than other groups, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday. “Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens,” he said in a statement warning the U.S. Department of Justice would protect Americans’ freedom of worship from unfair restrictions.

Why did he speak out? The Justice Department on Tuesday filed a statement of interest in support of Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., which wanted to hold parking lot worship services. The city fined congregants $500 each for attending even though they followed social distancing rules and kept their windows closed. Drive-in restaurants, meanwhile, are allowed to stay open in the city. Mayor Errick Simmons rescinded the fines on Monday.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties about the tension between stay-at-home orders and First Amendment freedoms.