Liberty Counsel

Churches Prepare for ReOpen Church

ORLANDO, FL – Phase One of the Trump administration guidelines for “Opening Up America Again,” which begins today, includes churches, and Liberty Counsel is calling on believers to begin the process of meeting again this weekend. The First Amendment prohibits government from prescribing the form or manner of worship, and Liberty Counsel’s attorneys have counseled hundreds of churches that will participate in ReOpen Church Sunday this weekend, or soon thereafter.

Court Rules Against Jacksonville HRO Ordinance

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Liberty Counsel won a 3-0 appellate victory today against Jacksonville, Florida’s 2017 ordinance that added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as “protected categories” under Jacksonville law “Human Rights Ordinance” (HRO).

KY AG Rebukes Beshear in Church Lawsuit

LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a compelling amicus brief in support of Liberty Counsel’s federal lawsuit, on behalf of Maryville Baptist Church and Pastor Jack Roberts, against Governor Andy Beshear for violating their religious freedom by targeting churchgoers on Easter Sunday and banning religious services.

VA Governor Northam Sued for Criminalizing Worship

RICHMOND, VA – Pastor Kevin Wilson and Lighthouse Fellowship Church on Chincoteague Island filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Ralph Northam for violating their religious freedom by targeting churchgoers on Palm Sunday. Liberty Counsel represents the pastor and church and filed the lawsuit today in federal court. Police served a summons to Pastor Wilson for holding a church service for 16 people spaced far apart in a sanctuary that is rated for 293 people. The charge is violating Virginia Governor Northam’s COVID Order 55 with a penalty up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

ReOpen Church Sunday

ORLANDO, FL – After weeks of being closed due to the Coronavirus, Liberty Counsel is calling on the churches to open and believers to start meeting again on Sunday, May 3, which is being called ReOpen Church Sunday. May 3 is also the beginning of the National Day of Prayer week, which culminates on Thursday, May 7. The website ReOpenChurch.org will provide information for churches.

KY Governor Beshear Sued for Targeting Churches

LOUISVILLE, KY – Maryville Baptist Church and Pastor Jack Roberts filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Andy Beshear for violating their religious freedom by targeting churchgoers on Easter Sunday. Liberty Counsel filed the lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court in Louisville.

Collateral Damage from Lockdowns

WASHINGTON, DC – The lockdowns or stay-at-home orders surrounding COVID-19 are increasing domestic and child abuse, child sexual exploitation, alcohol consumption, pornography, mental stress, and suicide.

KY Court Rules for Louisville Church

LOUISVILLE, KY – On Saturday afternoon before Easter, Federal District Judge Justin Walker issued a temporary restraining order against Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s ban on “religious services, even if the congregants remain in their cars during the service.” On Fire Christian Center is represented by First Liberty and a Louisville law firm.

Police Serve Summons to VA Church

CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, VA -- Police served a summons to the pastor of Lighthouse Fellowship for holding a church service for 16 people spaced far apart in a sanctuary that seats 293. The charge is violating Virginia Governor Northam’s COVID Order 55 with a penalty up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine. Liberty Counsel is representing Pastor Kevin Wilson and Lighthouse Fellowship Church.

Are Churches Essential or Not?

ORLANDO, FL – Whether churches are “essential” in the midst of this Coronavirus crisis is a critical question that must take into consideration many factors. The related question – whether churches should open or close – must be considered in the context of each church and community.

Hillsborough County Reverses and Recognizes Churches As Essential

TAMPA, FL – Hillsborough County Council just met and voted to reverse its order from law last Friday. At the recommendation of County Attorney Beck, the council voted to recognize churches as “essential.” Mayor Castor wanted to impose the 10 person and six-foot social distancing restriction on churches, but the council voted against her recommendation at the advice of counsel. Any future guidance the county may issue will be recommendations and not enforceable.

Statement of Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne

TAMPA, FL – My name is Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne. My wife, Adonica, and I are the founders of Revival Ministries International, The River at Tampa Bay Church, River Bible Institute, River School of Worship, and River School of Government in Tampa, Florida. I am the senior pastor of the church. We are a multi-ethnic local church, with an international outreach and influence.

Should Churches Meet or Not Meet?

TAMPA, FL – Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, was arrested at his home Monday for holding a church service last Sunday. The church is in Hillsborough County, Florida. The Hillsborough County administrative order includes 43 paragraphs of exemptions, and then contains a catch-all paragraph stating that any commercial business that is not specifically exempted may operate, as long as it complies with the six-foot separate requirement.

FL Pastor Arrested for Holding Church Service

TAMPA, FL – Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, was arrested at his home today by Hernando County Sheriff Deputies for holding a church service yesterday. The church is located in Hillsborough County, Florida. Hillsborough County has issued administrative orders addressing meetings and social distancing, which will be addressed below. Pastor Howard-Browne and his wife founded the church in 1996. He also heads Revival Ministries International. He was born in South Africa and has resided in Tampa, Florida since the mid-1990s.

$2 Trillion Stimulus Package in the Works

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An apparent agreement was reached at 1 a.m. this morning on a $2 trillion spending bill that has not be fully written. Rather than a good faith effort to help Americans, Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate previously blocked a bipartisan emergency response bill in order to advance their partisan interests by including many provisions entirely unrelated to the Coronavirus. House Democrat Whip James Clyburn said this virus is “a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.”

Pelosi Uses Crisis to Advance Radical Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rather than a good faith effort to help Americans, Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a $2 trillion bipartisan emergency response bill in order to advance their partisan interests by including many provisions entirely unrelated to the Coronavirus. Nancy Pelosi’s response bill directs funds to unrelated items such as abortion, LGBT, carbon emissions for airlines, and the Kennedy Center. It launches special-interest programs for unions and climate activists, institutes a $15/hour minimum wage and even meddles with the national elections system.

SCOTUS Will Review Abortion Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Wednesday, March 4, concerning the Louisiana state law that requires doctors performing abortions to have admission privileges at a state-authorized hospital within 30 miles of the abortion center. Currently in the state, all doctors at outpatient surgical facilities, except abortion centers, must have admitting privileges at a local hospital, even though the Louisiana abortion industry has a long record of substandard practices that jeopardize the health and safety of women.

Forty-One Senators Say 'No' to Protecting Abortion Survivors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late Tuesday, 41 U.S. Senators voted to block the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act from being brought to a final vote on the Senate floor. In a 56-41 vote, the bill failed to receive the needed three-fifths majority, or 60 senators, to overcome a Democrat-led filibuster. This leaves open loopholes that allow medical staff to abuse and kill newborn babies in 35 states, with zero fear of legal consequences. Four more votes would have overcome the filibuster, which would have allowed a vote on the bill that would have easily passed. But, 41 Senators did not want to allow the up or down vote on this bill that bans infanticide.

Protect Life Rule Upheld

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 7-4 yesterday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Title X funding rule for federal family planning programs, called the Protect Life Rule, is constitutional. The Trump administration’s rule means the defunding of Planned Parenthood by as much as $60 million in Title X funds annually.

Court Rules Pensacola Cross Remains

PENSACOLA, FL – A federal Court of Appeals ruled that the World War II-era 78-year-old Bayview Cross in Pensacola, Florida, does not violate the U.S. Constitution and will remain standing. The appeals court noted it has become “embedded in the fabric of the Pensacola community” and that removing it could “strike many as aggressively hostile to religion.”