Illinois’ Covid-19 In-Person Limits Outweigh Church’s Interest

The importance of limiting the spread of Covid-19 outweighs an Illinois church’s need to hold in-person services, even though a state-imposed limit on gatherings is no longer mandatory, the Seventh Circuit decided Monday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit refused to enjoin a 10-person limit on gatherings in Illinois. Acting in the public’s best interest is more significant than the Beloved Church’s First Amendment right to gather, the court said.

Federal judges should not invoke potentially powerful temporary injunctions except in cases where it is clearly necessary, and the church’s circumstances don’t clearly demand it, the court ...