- A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky issued a temporary restraining order allowing On Fire Christian Church to hold a drive-in Easter service, preventing the city from enforcing a ban on such services by the mayor.
- The church had been holding drive-in services for nearly a month, with attendees remaining in their cars parked 6 feet apart and following CDC guidelines.
- The religious liberty law group First Liberty Institute, which represented the church, said the judge recognized the mayor’s ban violated the church’s religious freedom.
- While banning drive-in church services, the mayor allowed drive-through operations like restaurants and liquor stores to continue.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the ruling as defending Kentuckians’ religious liberty, saying churches could not be singled out with unfair standards compared to other establishments.
- The judge stated Louisville was violating the Free Exercise Clause by prohibiting drive-in churches while allowing various other drive-in and drive-through venues.