The Department Of Justice recently expressed support for a Virginia church who is suing Gov. Northam over restrictive COVID-19 measures. //

The DOJ’s statement argued that treating churches differently from businesses could demonstrate that Northam is unfairly burdening churches by holding them to a different standard. In a press release, officials wrote:

“Because the executive orders prohibit Lighthouse’s sixteen-person, socially distanced gathering in a 225-seat church but allow similar secular conduct, such as a gathering of 16 lawyers in a large law firm conference room, the governor’s executive orders may constitute a violation of the church’s constitutional rights to the free exercise of religion.”

The statement also explained, “It will be difficult for the Commonwealth to justify having one set of rules that allows for secular gatherings — such as in-person operations for any non-retail business and various other exemptions permitting large-scale retail gatherings — while denying to Lighthouse the ability to worship in modest numbers with appropriate social distancing and sanitizing precautions.”