GRANTS PASS, Oregon — A pickleball game in this leafy Oregon community was suddenly interrupted one rainy weekend morning by the arrival of an ambulance. Paramedics rushed through the park toward a tent, one of dozens illegally erected by the town’s hundreds of homeless people, then play resumed as though nothing had happened.

Myles Baida plays pickleball as emergency responders put a homeless person in an ambulance March 23 in Grants Pass, Ore. Relatives had called police and requested a welfare check. 

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

Mere feet away, volunteers helped dismantle tents to move an 80-year-old man and a woman blind in one eye, who risked being fined for staying too long. In the distance, a group of boys climbed on a jungle gym.

The scenes were emblematic of the crisis gripping the small, Oregon mountain town of Grants Pass, where a fierce fight over park space has become a battleground for a much larger, national debate on homelessness that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

A volunteer holds on to a wheelchair as Max Hartfelt is helped into his tent after being relocated from one park to another March 23 in Grants Pass, Ore. The rural community has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

The town’s case, set to be heard April 22, has broad implications for how not only Grants Pass, but communities nationwide address homelessness, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. It has made the town of 40,000 the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis, and further fueled the debate over how to deal with it.

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Grants Pass Mayor Sara Bristol visits Tussing Park on March 22 in Grants Pass, Ore. 

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

“I certainly wish this wasn’t what my town was known for,” Mayor Sara Bristol told The Associated Press last month. “It’s not the reason why I became mayor. And yet it has dominated every single thing that I’ve done for the last 3 ½ years.”

Officials across the political spectrum — from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, which has nearly 30% of the nation’s homeless population, to a group of 22 conservative-led states — have filed briefs in the case, saying lower court rulings have hamstrung their ability to deal with encampments.

Like many Western communities, Grants Pass has struggled for years with a burgeoning homeless population. A decade ago, City Council members discussed how to make it “uncomfortable enough … in our city so they will want to move on down the road.” From 2013 to 2018, the city said it issued 500 citations for camping or sleeping in public, including in vehicles, with fines that could reach hundreds of dollars.

A vehicle at left drives down Rogue River Highway as light shines on the area  March 23 in Grants Pass, Ore. 

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

But a 2018 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals changed the calculus. The court, whose jurisdiction includes nine Western states, held that while communities are allowed to prohibit tents in public spaces, it violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment to give people criminal citations for sleeping outside when they had no place else to go.

Four years later, in a case challenging restrictions in Grants Pass, the court expanded that ruling, holding that civil citations also can be unconstitutional.

Civil rights groups and attorneys for the homeless residents who challenged the restrictions in 2018 insist people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing. Officials throughout the West have overstated the impact of the court decisions to distract from their own failings, they argued.

“For years, political leaders have chosen to tolerate encampments as an alternative to meaningfully addressing the western region’s severe housing shortage,” the attorneys wrote. “It is easier to blame the courts than to take responsibility for finding a solution.”

In Grants Pass, the town’s parks, many lining the picturesque Rogue River, are at the heart of the debate. Cherished for their open spaces, picnic tables, playgrounds and sports fields, they host everything from annual boat-racing festivals and vintage car shows to Easter egg hunts and summer concerts.

Brian Wright, center, prays during bible study at Gospel Rescue Mission on March 21 in Grants Pass, Ore. 

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

They’re also the sites of encampments blighted by illegal drug use and crime, including a shooting at a park last year that left one person dead. Tents cluster along riverbanks, next to tennis courts and jungle gyms, with tarps shielding belongings from the rain. When the sun comes out, clothes and blankets are strung across tree branches to dry. Used needles litter the ground.

Grants Pass has one overnight shelter for adults, the Gospel Rescue Mission. It has 138 beds, but rules including attendance at daily Christian services, no alcohol, drugs or smoking and no pets mean many won’t stay there.

Cassy Leach, a nurse, leads a volunteer group providing food, medical care and other basic goods to the town’s hundreds of homeless people. They help relocate their tents to comply with city rules.

Cassy Leach, a nurse who leads a group of volunteers who provide food, medical care and other basic goods to the hundreds of homeless people living in the parks, talks to Kimberly Marie, who is homeless and camping in Fruitdale Park on March 21 in Grants Pass, Ore. 

Jenny Kane, Associated Press

At one park last month, she checked on a man who burned his leg after falling on a torch lighter during a fentanyl overdose and brought him naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication. In another, she distributed cans of beans, peas and Chef Boyardee mini ravioli from a pickup truck.

“Love, hope, community and a safety net is really as important as a shower and water,” Leach said.

Dre Buetow, 48, from northern California, has been living in his car for three years after a bone cancer diagnosis and $450,000 in medical bills. The illness and treatment kept him from returning to his old tree-trimming job, he said.

Laura Gutowski’s husband died from a pulmonary embolism and she suddenly found herself, in her 50s, with no income. They didn’t have life insurance or savings and, within a month, she was sleeping outside.

“I used to love camping,” she said through tears. “And now I can’t stand it anymore.”

But some residents want to limit aid because of the trash left behind after encampment moves or food handouts. The City Council proposed requiring outreach groups to register with the city. The mayor vetoed it, laying bare the discord gripping Grants Pass.

Before the council attempted, unsuccessfully, to override the veto last month, a self-proclaimed “park watch” group rallied outside City Hall with signs reading, “Parks are for kids.” 

The group regularly posts images of trash, tents and homeless people on social media. On Sundays, they set up camp chairs in what they say is a bid to reclaim park space.

Brock Spurgeon says he used to take his grandkids to parks that were so full it was hard to find an available picnic table. Now, open drug use and discarded needles have scared families away, he said.

“That was taken away from us when the campers started using the parks,” he said.

Homeless encampment sweeps spike in cities across US as housing crisis grows

Michael Johnson gathers possessions to take before a homeless encampment was cleaned up in San Francisco on Aug. 29, 2023. Cities across the U.S. are struggling with and cracking down on tent encampments as the number of homeless people grows, largely due to a lack of affordable housing. Homeless people and their advocates say sweeps are cruel and costly, and there aren’t enough homes or beds for everyone.  

Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

Roxanne Simonson, 60, removes her long-sleeve shirt  July 27 after being told by Rapid Response Bio Clean that she has 72 hours to vacant her illegal campsite in Portland, Ore. Simonson has been homeless for two years. 

Craig Mitchelldyer

Will Taylor, 32, cleans up the campsite of a friend July 27 before Rapid Response Bio Clean removes the belongings during a sweep in Portland, Ore. Taylor says that he has had to move three times since becoming homeless. Tent encampments have long been a fixture of West Coast cities, but are now spreading visibly across the U.S. The federal count of homeless people reached 580,000 last year, driven by lack of affordable housing and a pandemic that economically wrecked households. 

Craig Mitchelldyer, Associated Press

Prohibited items that have been collected by Rapid Response Bio Clean while cleaning homeless camps sit on a table in the company warehouse in Portland, Ore., on July 27, 2023. Weapons, car parts and drug paraphernalia are not allowed to be returned to people whose items have been confiscated during a sweep.  

Craig Mitchelldyerr, Associated Press

A San Francisco Police Department vehicle drives through a homeless encampment being cleaned up in San Francisco on Aug. 29, 2023. Records obtained by The Associated Press show attempts to clear encampments increased in cities from Los Angeles to New York as public pressure grew to address what are dangerous and unsanitary living conditions. But despite tens of millions of dollars spent in recent years, there appears to be little reduction in the number of tents propped up on sidewalks, in parks and by freeway off-ramps.

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

Members of the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team’s Encampment Resolution Team walk toward an encampment in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023. 

Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

Two small stones that say “hope” and “peace” respectively and two flowers lay inside a circle of rocks on the ground in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 17, 2023. The rock circle is next to the site of a former homeless encampment that was cleared several times over the course of the year. With homelessness on the rise in the U.S. and a lack of affordable housing, cities and states are cracking down on mushrooming tent encampments.  

Claire Rushr, Associated Press

Roughly 30 large boulders occupy the narrow strip of land between a sidewalk and a parking lot wall in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 17, 2023. The boulders were installed sometime after late July at the site of a former homeless encampment to prevent tents from being set back up. The encampment was cleared several times over the course of the year.  

Claire Rushr, Associated Press

San Francisco Public Works crew load a truck while cleaning items from a homeless encampment in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023. Cities across the U.S. are struggling with and cracking down on tent encampments as the number of homeless people grows, largely due to a lack of affordable housing. Homeless people and their advocates say sweeps are cruel and costly, and there aren’t enough homes or beds for everyone. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

A woman gathers possessions to take before a homeless encampment was cleaned up in San Francisco on Aug. 29, 2023. Cities across the U.S. are struggling with and cracking down on tent encampments as the number of homeless people grows, largely due to a lack of affordable housing. Homeless people and their advocates say sweeps are cruel and costly, and there aren’t enough homes or beds for everyone.  

Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

A woman gathers possessions to take before a homeless encampment was cleaned up in San Francisco, Aug. 29, 2023.  

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

Members of the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team’s Encampment Resolution Team speak with people at an encampment in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023.  

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

A San Francisco Public Works crew cleans items from a homeless encampment in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023. 

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

Maurice Palmer waits with his possessions as a homeless encampment is cleaned up in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023.  

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

Francis Zamora, of Department of Emergency Management, walks past a puddle near a homeless encampment being cleaned up in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023.  

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

A man pushes items while a homeless encampment is being cleaned up in San Francisco Aug. 29, 2023.  

Jeff Chiur, Associated Press

Roughly 30 large boulders occupy the narrow strip of land between a sidewalk and a parking lot wall in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 17, 2023. The boulders were installed sometime after late July at the site of a former homeless encampment to prevent tents from being set back up. The encampment was cleared several times over the course of the year. Cities across the U.S. are struggling with and cracking down on tent encampments as the number of homeless people grows, largely due to a lack of affordable housing. Homeless people and their advocates say sweeps are cruel and costly, and there aren’t enough homes or beds for everyone.  

Claire Rushr, Associated Press

Amber Nastasia from Rapid Response Bio Clean cleans a homeless camp July 27 in Portland, Ore. 

Craig Mitchelldyer, Associated Press

Will Taylor, 32, cleans up the campsite of a friend July 27 before Rapid Response Bio Clean removes the belongings during a sweep in Portland, Ore.

Craig Mitchelldyer, Associated Press

Will Taylor, 32, cleans up the campsite of a friend before Rapid Response Bio Clean removes the belongings during a sweep in Portland, Ore., July 27, 2023. T 

Craig Mitchelldyerr, Associated Press

Amber Nastasia from Rapid Response Bio Clean cleans a homeless camp in Portland, Ore., on July 27, 2023.  

Craig Mitchelldyerr, Associated Press

Amber Nastasia, left, and Jacob Miller from Rapid Response Bio Clean clean a homeless camp in Portland, Ore., Thursday, July 27, 2023.  

Craig Mitchelldyerr, Associated Press

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Unrestrained crimes in San Francisco are “not new” and “the city is in chaos,” said police Lt. Tracy McCray told Fox News on Wednesday.

McCray made these comments after a Neiman Marcus was hit by shoplifters fleeing with goods in San Francisco. Citing witnesses, the outlet said showcases were smashed and items were lifted from shelves in the store before the suspects could escape.

“This business has people on paychecks and if they close there is no guarantee they will find another job,” McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, told America’s Newsroom. “That’s a lot more than someone who steals a bag.”

SAN FRANCISCO NEIMAN MARCUS MET BY SHOPKEEPERS ESCAPING WITH GOODS

In addition, a former San Francisco Police Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese spoke about the rise in crime in the city.

“We are in a state of chaos and anarchy here in San Francisco,” Veronese said. “You see it every day … you just expect it and hope that when it happens you won’t be in the line of fire.”

America’s Newsroom co-host Dana Perino asked McCray what the reaction was when she received a phone call about theft or break-in.

“There are no consequences in holding people accountable because excuses …[given] get kicked out by certain politicians, “she replied.” They say the most idiotic things to justify bad behavior, and that’s why there is chaos here. “

SAN FRANCISCO OFFICER ON VIRAL VIDEO FROM BRAZEN WALGREENS SHOPLIFTER: ‘GAUBER’ KNOW THAT THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES

McCray compared these incidents to “scenes from a movie” and mentioned that the rise in crime in San Francisco was “an everyday occurrence”.

Meanwhile, Target stores in the Golden City announced that they had reduced their hours of operation due to a significant and alarming increase in thefts. The retail company released the following statement on the rise in crime in San Francisco:

“For more than a month we’ve seen a significant and alarming increase in theft and security incidents in our San Francisco stores, similar to reports from other retailers in the area. With the safety of our guests, team members and communities as our number one priority, we have temporarily reduced our operating hours in six stores in San Francisco. “

McCray said retail companies cutting their working hours due to crime have never been seen in San Francisco.

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“Now there are people whose opening hours in these stores have been cut. They will miss out on money in their check for their daily activities, paying rent, buying food and clothing, ”she concluded. “I’m not surprised by this and nobody should be.”

Edmund DeMarche of Fox News contributed to this report.

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The Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday heard a case that unions say could affect the pension plans of thousands of former state employees.

It is not the first time this case has been heard by the country’s highest court.

Juneau resident Peter Metcalfe said he was making college money in the early 1970s when he got a government job that involved “stamping kettles” at the Capitol. He basically worked as a chimney sweep using a four-foot brush to pull gallons of soot out of chimneys.

“I was wrapped in cloth to keep the soot away from me,” recalls Metcalfe. “I only remember standing in the Capitol fountain with the sun shining and sweat running down my face, and I’m sure I was all black. I thought ‘I have to be somewhere else.’ “

After only a few weeks, Metcalfe left town to try his hand at commercial fishing.

Metcalfe said he really didn’t get it at the time, but had he stayed in the state he could have been taken on as a Level I employee.

These Tier I benefits are known to be generous. These included a defined benefit retirement plan, cost of living adjustments, and family medical insurance upon retirement at age 55.

“A gold chain in Juneau with ‘Tier I’ on it, everyone loves you!” said Metcalfe’s attorney Mark Choate with a laugh. “You know you are the object of desire because it’s such a great pension system.”

These advantages – this “gold chain” – are no longer available to new civil servants.

Metcalfe didn’t work for the state again. But the crux of the matter is what would happen if he wanted to do that now.

In the early 1980s, he triggered his retirement account. But by then he could have paid his pension back and returned to work as a Level I employee.

He can’t do that now. If he went back to work for the state, he would get a new type of pension that is not as generous as his original plan.

In 2005, the legislature ended membership in all defined benefit pension plans and introduced the new defined contribution Tier IV plan.

“It just felt like Fiat was making laws,” Metcalfe said. “In other words, the governor and the legislature, the ruling party had majorities in both houses and the governor was Republican and they just got it through.”

Metcalfe believes this is against the Alaskan Constitution. In particular, he refers to Article XII, Section 7, which states that a worker’s pension must never be reduced and that membership of a pension plan is a contractual relationship with the state.

In this photo taken in February 2015, attorneys from left, Mark Choate, Jon Choate, and Kevin Wakley, along with Larry Davis of the Alaska Division of Retirement and Benefits, are preparing for a hearing in the Alaska Supreme Court in Juneau. (Photo by Matt Miller / KTOO)

Oral arguments before the judges on Thursday should focus on the interpretation of the pension benefits section of the Constitution and whether it is unconstitutional to deny Metcalfe’s potential pension benefits.

Prosecutors refused to do a taped interview for this story. But they argued before the Alaska Supreme Court five years ago that Metcalfe finally ended his contractual relationship with the state when he paid off his retirement. They also said he waited too long to file a lawsuit.

Two incumbent judges have withdrawn because of a possible conflict of interest.

Two former judges, Dana Fabe and Warren Matthews, came out of retirement to hear and rule the case.

The Alaska Supreme Court usually delivers an opinion 6-12 months after oral arguments.

State workers’ unions have stated that a decision in favor of Metcalfe could also affect up to 85,000 former workers who may wish to return to a state job and be carried over into their previous retirement plans.

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The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal from oil companies like BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. It left a key procedural decision that benefited two California cities suing billions of dollars to combat the effects of climate change.

The judges refused, without comment, to consider the industry’s offer to move the lawsuit in federal court, where companies tend to do better than state courts.

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The rejection is a victory for San Francisco and Oakland, part of a group of litigants across the country calling for reimbursement of costs related to sea level rise, including coastal flooding, increased coastal erosion and saltwater impacts on sewage treatment plants.

Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ConocoPhillips are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

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Cities are suing state law, claiming the companies created a “public nuisance” through a decades-long campaign to discredit the science of global warming, misrepresent and cover up the dangers of fossil fuels, and downplay the potentially disastrous consequences.

The companies said the lawsuit raises federal issues that cannot be adequately addressed from state to state. An appeals court rejected this line of argument, but said the companies could still bring other arguments in favor of referring the case to federal court.

The case is Chevron v Oakland, 20-1089.

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SAN QUENTIN (KPIX 5) – The California Supreme Court began hearing arguments on Wednesday in Donte McDaniel’s appeal on the death penalty, a case legal experts say could affect the future of the death penalty in the state.

McDaniel’s case could make it difficult for prosecutors to get people on California’s death row, and almost every inmate could be affected.

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McDaniel, one of 700 convicted inmates in San Quentin, was convicted of two murders in 2004 at the age of 24 following a gang-related drug deal.

The inmate’s lawyers concentrate on so-called “aggravating factors”, 22 different things such as gang activities, the perpetrator’s lurking, or particularly heinous or cruel acts.

Lara Bazelon, a law professor at the University of San Francisco, said current law requires juries to agree to an aggravating factor, not a specific one.

“The lawyers say the jury must agree on the specific aggravating factors that will result in their finding death beyond doubt, and the law does not require them to do so now,” Bazelon told KPIX 5.

This is what the governor and public defenders want to change, which makes it difficult to impose the death penalty.

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Bazelon believes the composition of the court right now means that change has a real chance.

“We now have a seat inclined to the left. There are Jerry Brown commissioners on this court. There are Gavin Newsom officers for this court, ”said the professor. “And the litigants may think that there will be a more receptive audience to attacks on the constitutionality of the death penalty.”

Bazelon said she doesn’t necessarily believe the California Supreme Court ruling would apply retrospectively and to anyone already on death row.

“You could say, ‘Yes, there is a problem with this death sentence,’ but everyone else who came before this sentence does not benefit from it, they stick with their death sentences,” she said. “It is only going forward prospectively, the defendants will benefit from it.”

The professor said it was really unclear what the court will do to make retrospective changes.

Ultimately, the district attorneys would decide whether to repeat the sentencing phase for all of these convictions. But many prosecutors have sided with the governor for this move.

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A judgment from the California Supreme Court is expected in the next three to six months.

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WASHINGTON (CBS SF / AP) – In a case involving a Bible study group in Santa Clara County, the US Supreme Court issued an order on Friday night notifying California health officials that they cannot enforce coronavirus-related restrictions, that limit domestic religion worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings.

The plaintiffs in the case were: Ritesh Tandon; Karen Busch; Terry Gannon; Carolyn Gannon; Jeremy Wong; Julie Evarkiou; Dhruv Khanna; Connie Richards; Frances Beaudit and Maya Mansour.

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CLICK to read the entire decision

The court’s order on late Friday is the last in a series of cases where the Supreme Court prevented officials from enforcing some coronavirus-related restrictions on religious gatherings.

Five Conservative judges agreed that California’s restrictions on religious gatherings at home should be lifted for the time being, while the court’s three Liberals and Chief Justice John Roberts did not.

However, California has already announced significant changes that will ease the restrictions on gatherings that go into effect on April 15th. The changes come after the state’s infection rates drop.

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The case before the judges related to California rules that most states limit indoor social gatherings to no more than three households. Participants must wear masks and be physically separated from each other. Different restrictions apply to places like schools, grocery stores, and churches.

“California treats some similar secular activities more favorably than home religious practice,” allowing hair salons, retail stores, and movie theaters, among other things, “to bring together more than three households at once,” the court’s unsigned order said. A lower court “did not conclude that these activities pose a lower risk of transmission than the domestic religious practice proposed by the applicants,” it said.

The court admitted that California assembly policy will change next week, but said the restrictions will remain in place until then and that “officials with a track record of moving the goalposts retain the power to reinstate these tightened restrictions at any time”.

Judge Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent for herself and her liberal counterparts, Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, that the majority of the court compromised the ability of state officials to address a public health emergency.

“California limits religious meetings in private homes to three households. Even though the state restricts all secular home gatherings to three households, it has adhered to the first amendment. And the state does just that: it has put a blanket restriction on gatherings of all kinds at home, both religious and secular. California doesn’t have to … treat religious meetings at home the same way it does hardware stores and hair salons, ”she wrote. She added that “the law does not require the state to treat apples and watermelons equally”.

The court has looked into a number of cases where religious groups have cracked down on coronavirus restrictions affecting worship services. At the beginning of the pandemic, the court sided with state officials over the objection from religious groups. This changed after the death of the liberal judiciary Ruth Bader Ginsburg last September and its replacement by the conservative judiciary Amy Coney Barrett.

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In November, the New York Supreme Court banned the enforcement of certain restrictions on visiting churches and synagogues in areas identified as affected by the virus. And in February, the California Supreme Court said it could not ban indoor services because of the coronavirus pandemic, although it did allow a ban on singing and singing indoors for the time being.

The post Santa Clara Bible Research Group Wins Supreme Court docket Combat Over House Gatherings – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court tells California that it cannot enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that limit religious worship at home, including Bible studies and prayer meetings.

The court’s order on late Friday is the last in a series of cases where the Supreme Court prevented officials from enforcing some coronavirus-related restrictions on religious gatherings.

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Five Conservative judges agreed that California’s restrictions on religious gatherings at home should be lifted for the time being, while the court’s three Liberals and Chief Justice John Roberts did not.

However, California has already announced significant changes that will ease the restrictions on gatherings that go into effect on April 15th. The changes come after the state’s infection rates drop.

The case before the judges related to California rules that most states limit indoor social gatherings to no more than three households. Participants must wear masks and be physically separated from each other. Different restrictions apply to places like schools, grocery stores, and churches.

“California treats some similar secular activities more favorably than home religious practice,” allowing hair salons, retail stores, and movie theaters, among other things, “to bring together more than three households at once,” the court’s unsigned order said. A lower court “did not conclude that these activities pose a lower risk of transmission than the domestic religious practice proposed by the applicants,” it said.

The court admitted that California assembly policy will change next week, but said the restrictions will remain in place until then and that “officials with a track record of moving the goalposts retain the power to reinstate these tightened restrictions at any time”.

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Judge Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent for herself and her liberal counterparts, Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, that the majority of the court compromised the ability of state officials to address a public health emergency.

“California limits religious meetings in private homes to three households. Even though the state restricts all secular home gatherings to three households, it has adhered to the first amendment. And the state does just that: it has put a blanket restriction on gatherings of all kinds at home, both religious and secular. California doesn’t have to … treat religious meetings at home the same way it does hardware stores and hair salons, ”she wrote. She added that “the law does not require the state to treat apples and watermelons equally”.

The case before the judges involved two residents of Santa Clara County, San Francisco Bay Area, who wish to hold small face-to-face Bible studies in their homes. California had defended its policy of restricting social gatherings as “completely neutral”.

The court has looked into a number of cases where religious groups have cracked down on coronavirus restrictions affecting worship services. At the beginning of the pandemic, the court sided with state officials over the objection from religious groups. This changed after the death of the liberal judiciary Ruth Bader Ginsburg last September and its replacement by the conservative judiciary Amy Coney Barrett.

In November, the New York Supreme Court banned the enforcement of certain restrictions on visiting churches and synagogues in areas identified as affected by the virus. And in February, the California Supreme Court said it could not ban indoor services because of the coronavirus pandemic, although it did allow a ban on singing and singing indoors for the time being.

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