Democracy Dies in Darkness
Religion

Federal court allows D.C. church to hold services outdoors despite coronavirus restrictions

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October 10, 2020 at 8:59 a.m. EDT
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) walks on 16th Street NW after the words Black Lives Matter were painted in enormous bright yellow letters on the street by city workers and activists on June 5 in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

A D.C. federal court late Friday granted permission for a large D.C. church to hold outdoor worship services, saying the city’s coronavirus restrictions banning church services of more than 100 people — indoors or out — appear to violate the church’s religious-exercise rights.

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, which has 850 members and no online worship services, has been meeting in a Virginia field. The U.S. District Court’s granting of a preliminary injunction allows the church to meet outdoors en masse in the city, where most of its members live, while its lawsuit moves forward.