How COVID-19 Church Shutdowns Broke the First Amendment
Gabriel Rench didn’t expect to be arrested for singing hymns. On September 23, 2020, he and two fellow congregants from Christ Church joined roughly 150 people at a Moscow, Idaho, parking lot for a 20-minute outdoor “psalm sing” — a peaceful protest of the city’s mask mandate. Police arrested all three. In July 2023, the city paid $300,000 to settle its First Amendment lawsuit. The federal judge didn’t mince words: the city had “indisputably erred in interpreting its own Code,” wrongfully arrested the plaintiffs, and misadvised its officers. He told the parties to settle. They did.
TL;DR
- Gabriel Rench and two congregants were arrested for singing hymns at a peaceful protest against a mask mandate in Moscow, Idaho.
- The city of Moscow paid $300,000 to settle a First Amendment lawsuit filed by the arrested individuals.
- A federal judge stated the city had erred in its interpretation of its code and wrongfully arrested the plaintiffs.
- The events in Moscow are presented as part of a national pattern during COVID-19 lockdowns where churches were shut down while other businesses remained open.
- Court decisions and Supreme Court precedents are constraining the use of emergency powers for governments.