After losing their motion to dismiss, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Walz decided to settle the case, meaning current and future emergency orders can no longer discriminate against churches on capacity limits.
For the first time since invoking emergency orders, Gov. Tim Walz lost a court battle challenging his emergency powers, specifically his orders limiting church worship services, treating them differently than grocery stores, retail outlets and sports venues. The Upper Midwest Law Center (UMWLC) prevailed in federal court this week on behalf of Northland Baptist Church and Living Word Christian Center against the state’s motion to dismiss the case on March 30, 2021. After losing their motion to dismiss, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Walz decided to settle the case, meaning current and future emergency orders can no longer discriminate against churches on capacity limits.
Acting as our benevolent leader, Walz will likely announce later today that churches will be allowed to open to full capacity because his administration has made so much progress on vaccinations and mitigation efforts. But make no mistake about it — any relaxation of church capacity is court ordered.
Here is the full UWMLC press release:
UMLC’s Church Clients Obtain Legal Settlement From Walz
Administration Prohibiting Any Different Treatment Of Minnesota
Houses Of Worship In Any COVID-19 “Emergency” Orders
(Golden Valley, MN) On May 5, 2021, Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison agreed to settle the claims of Northland Baptist Church and Living Word Christian Center in the Upper Midwest Law Center’s (UMLC) lawsuit against the discriminatory treatment of churches and other houses of worship by promising that any “Emergency” COVID Orders would treat all houses of worship the same as grocery and retail outlets, sports and entertainment venues.
