Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Lawsuit Against Kentucky Governor Tried to Compare Stay at Home Orders to the Internment of Japanese During WW II

Lawsuit Against Kentucky Governor Tried to Compare Stay at Home Orders to the Internment of Japanese During WW II
Commonwealth of Kentucky; Louisville Courier Journal video

Pastors, rabbis, priests, imams, other religious leaders and churches across the United States found creative ways to continue their services in light of the global pandemic.

But not every congregation was willing to forgo large in person gatherings that violated stay-at-home orders.


In Louisiana, Evangelical Christian Pastor Tony Spell continues to create headlines for his defiance of social distancing guidelines, but he's not alone. In California, three Evangelical Christian churches are trying to sue Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom over their right to violate pandemic containment protocols.

Then last week, three parishioners of an Evangelical Christian church, Maryville Baptist of Louisville, filed suit against Democratic Governor Andy Beshear. They sought to gain a restraining order against the state's enforcement of their stay-at-home order.

You can see Pastor Jack Roberts of Maryville Baptist Church comment on the issue here.

Plaintiffs Theodore Roberts, Randall Daniel and Sally O'Boyle claimed their rights of religious freedom were being violated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The lawsuit stated that "in times of public panic and fear, egregious violations of fundamental rights have been permitted throughout the history of this Country" and that "it is only well after the fact that we have recognized the error of doing so."

Then to drive their point home, the parishioners claimed being asked to worship without gathering in person—thereby violating social distancing guidelines and endangering the public—was the same as Japanese Americans losing their homes, businesses and personal possessions and being interred for years during World War II.

You can see the lawsuit excerpt here:

US District Court Case Case: 2:20-cv-00054-WOB-CJ

The lawsuit claimed any attempts to enforce the stay-at-home order that applies equally to all citizens violated the parishioners' rights on a scale equivalent to a racist, unjust ruling from 1944 that targeted only a single ethnic group.

People had little tolerance for the church's false equivalency.




Apparently US District Court Judge David Hale was also not swayed by the churchgoers use of the Japanese internment to justify why they should be exempt from stay at home orders.

On Saturday, Judge Hale ruled that because Kentucky's pandemic containment measures ban all mass gatherings—"i.e., any event or convening that brings together groups of individuals, including civic, public, leisure, faith-based, or sporting events as well as concerts, festivals and conventions"—there was no religious discrimination and therefore no basis for their lawsuit.

The parishioners lawsuit and request for a restraining order were both ruled meritless. The church met again on Sunday and have not yet said whether they plan to appeal the decision.

Governor Beshear said Saturday to the Lexington Herald Leader he was unconcerned by the lawsuit.

He added:

"God gives us wisdom, and virtually all of our faith leaders are leading with that wisdom."

The book Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World is available here.

More from News

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less