The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a statement of interest Sunday supporting a church in its lawsuit against Virginia Governor Ralph Northam asserting recent executive orders violate First Amendment rights.

Lighthouse Fellowship Church filed the lawsuit after the pastor was issued a criminal citation for hosting a religious service with 16 people. Pursuant to the governor’s April 15 amended COVID-19 order, gatherings are not permitted if they have more than 10 people.

Virginia has more than 18,000 COVID-19 cases. The Commonwealth is under a state of emergency and is urging all Virginians to practice social distancing. The lawsuit indicates that the churchgoers were all in accordance with such guidelines.

In its statement Sunday, the DOJ explained that the state and local governments are within their authority to take precautions to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, such actions still must be consistent with the Constitution and not affront civil liberties. The DOJ suggests that because this order does not apply to non-secular entities, such as private enterprise, a violation may have occurred.

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