Protecting Religious Freedom During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Last modified 2022.02.12
- Status Ongoing
- Type Amicus
- Court State Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court, U.S. Supreme Court
- Issues Government-Supported Religion, Religious Exemptions and Public Health
- Amicus Brief 4th Circuit Va. Tolle v. Northam (4/17/20)
- Amicus Brief 9th Circuit, Calif., Gish v. Newsom (5/5/20)
- Amicus Brief KY Roberts v. Neace (4/19/20)
- Amicus Brief Texas Hotze v. Hidalgo (4/13/20)
- Amicus Brief Texas Supreme Court In re Hotze (3/31/20)
- Amicus Brief Virginia Hughes v. Northam (4/9/20)
- Amicus Brief, 1st Circuit, Maine, Calvary Chapel of Bangor v. Mills (5/23/20)
- Amicus Brief, 1st Circuit, Maine, Calvary Chapel v. Mills (7/31/20)
- Amicus Brief, 1st Circuit, Maine, Does v. Mills (10/18/21)
- Amicus Brief, 2nd Circuit, N.Y., Agudath Israel of America v. Cuomo (10/22/20)
- Amicus Brief, 2nd Circuit, N.Y., DiMartile v. Cuomo (10/22/20)
- Amicus Brief, 2nd Circuit, N.Y., Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (10/22/20)
- Amicus Brief, 2nd Circuit, N.Y., We The Patriots USA v. Hochul (9/23/21)
- Amicus Brief, 2nd Circuit, N.Y., We The Patriots v. Hochul (10/7/21)
- Amicus Brief, 3rd Circuit, N.J., Rev. Kevin Robinson v. Murphy (11/5/20)
- Amicus Brief, 4th Circuit, Md., Antietam Battlefield KOA v. Hogan (6/22/20)
- Amicus Brief, 4th Circuit, Va., Tolle v. Northam (5/26/20)
- Amicus Brief, 5th Circuit, La., Spell v. Edwards (6/11/20)
- Amicus Brief, 6th Circuit, Ky., Maryville Baptist Church v. Beshear (5/1/20)
- Amicus Brief, 6th Circuit, Mich., Resurrection School v. Hertel (3/24/21)
- Amicus Brief, 7th Circuit, Ill., Cassell v. Snyders (9/14/20)
- Amicus Brief, 7th Circuit, Ill., Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church v. Pritzker (5/16/20)
- Amicus Brief, 7th Circuit, Ill., Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church v. Pritzker (5/31/20)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circ., Calif., South Bay United v. Newsom (7/6/20)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Ca., South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (5/16/20)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Calif., Gateway City Church v. Newsom (4/5/21)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Calif., Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom (3/5/21)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Calif., Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom (9/15/20)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Calif., Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom (11/25/20)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Calif., In Re South Bay United Pentecostal Church (3/31/21)
- Amicus Brief, 9th Circuit, Oregon, Horizon Christian School v. Brown (3/1/21)
- Amicus Brief, 10th Circ., High Plains Harvest Church v. Polis (8/31/20)
- Amicus Brief, 10th Circuit, Colo., Andrew Wommack Ministries v. Polis (10/3/20)
- Amicus Brief, 10th Circuit, Colo., Denver Bible Church v. Polis (10/26/20)
- Amicus Brief, 10th Circuit, Colo., High Plains Harvest Church v. Polis (11/4/20)
- Amicus Brief, 10th Circuit, N.M., Legacy Church v. Kunkel (11/12/200
- Amicus Brief, Ca., Cross Culture Christian Center v. Newsom (4/29/20)
- Amicus Brief, Calif., Abiding Place Ministries v. Newsom (5/15/20)
- Amicus Brief, La., Spell v. Edwards (5/12/20)
- Amicus Brief, Maine, Calvary Chapel of Bangor v. Mills (5/8/20)
- Amicus Brief, Md., Antietam Battlefield KOA v. Hogan (5/8/20)
- Amicus Brief, N.J., Dwelling Place Network v. Murphy (6/3/20)
- Amicus Brief, N.J., Robinson v. Murphy (5/27/20)
- Amicus Brief, N.M., Legacy Church v. Kunkel (5/6/20)
- Amicus Brief, N.Y., Perez v. New Paltz Central School District (8/23/21)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Calif., Gish v. Newsom (1/12/21)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Calif., Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom (1/28/21)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Calif., Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom (11/25/20)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Calif., South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (1/27/21)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (11/16/20)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, Maine, Does v. Mills (10/22/21)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, N.Y., Agudath Israel of America v. Cuomo (11/17/20)
- Amicus Brief, SCOTUS, We The Patriots v. Hochul (11/9/21)
- Amicus Brief, Va., Lighthouse Fellowship Church v. Northam (5/7/20)
- Amicus Brief, We The Patriots v. Connecticut (8/5/21)
- AU Comments, Congress Jt Hearing, Vaccine Requirements & Employee Accommodations (11/9/21)
- AU Letter, PA HB 2530 Religious Exemptions (6/8/20)
- AU Letter to AR Gov. Hutchinson on Coronavirus (4/7/20)
- AU Letter to CT Gov. Lamont on Coronavirus (4/17/20)
- AU Letter to Ind. Gov Holcomb Coronavirus & Religious Freedom (5/7/20)
- AU Letter to Iowa Gov. Reynolds Coronavirus & Religious Freedom (5/4/20)
- AU Letter to KS Gov. Kelly on Coronavirus (3/25/20)
- AU Letter to Lodi Calif. on Coronavirus (4/2/20)
- AU Letter to MI Gov. Whitmer on Coronavirus (3/23/20)
- AU Letter to NM Health Sec. Kunkel on Coronavirus (3/30/20)
- AU Letter to SBA on Loan Forgiveness for Religious Activities (4/7/20)
- AU Letter to Tenn. Gov. Lee Coronavirus & Religious Freedom (5/4/20)
- Faith Organizations' Statement On Religious Exemptions to Emergency Orders (4/12/21)
- FAQs on COVID-19 Limits on Religious Gatherings
- KIFA amicus brief First Baptist Church v. Kelly (4/21/20)
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental bodies across the nation temporarily restricted large gatherings, limited in-person instruction at schools, required people to wear masks, and required certain people to be vaccinated. These public-health measures were met with a wave of religion-based challenges seeking exemptions for religious or religiously motivated activities. Tragically, the importance of the limitations was demonstrated by numerous deadly COVID-19 outbreaks across the country that were traced to church services.
Americans United has responded by filing amicus briefs explaining that while the free exercise of religion is critical, it does not provide a right to expose the community to an infectious disease—and that granting special privileges to religion during the coronavirus crisis puts religious freedom and public health at risk. We have filed more than fifty briefs defending public-health orders and statutes from religious challenges, in emergency litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Circuits; federal district courts in California, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Virginia; and state courts in Texas and Virginia. Four courts specifically cited our briefs, noting that our efforts were helpful to the courts in rendering their decisions; in one case, a New Mexico federal district court heard oral argument from Americans United’s Associate Vice President & Associate Legal Director, Alex Luchenitser.
