SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Today, Liberty Counsel will present oral argument before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the emergency injunction pending appeal for Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry against Governor Gavin Newsom’s worship restrictions. The hearing begins at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m.ET. The Court scheduled argument on New Year’s Eve following briefing by the parties. 

Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry have many churches in every Tier level set forth by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “Blueprint.” Gov. Newsom continues to argue against reality in light of the decisions in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo and Agudath Israel v. Cuomo from the Supreme Court, two decisions from the Ninth Circuit, and the Second Circuit in the Catholic Diocese and Agudath Israel cases.

In Tier 1, which covers 99.9 percent of California, no indoor worship is permitted while many non-religious gatherings either have no restrictions on the number of people or can operate within a percentage of building occupancy. In Tiers 2-3, houses of worship have numerical caps of 100 and 200 respectively, no matter the size of the building. Similar non-religious gatherings have no numerical caps. 

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Gov. Gavin Newsom’s discriminatory scheme against houses of worship violates the First Amendment. California’s oppressive measures against houses of worship must cease.” 

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