Pastor John MacArthur, Grace Community Church defeated a fourth attempt by Los Angeles County to shut down worship services.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates. According to the Thomas More Society, California Superior Court in Los Angeles issued a five-page ruling denying Los Angeles County’s request to stop indoor worship services at Grace Community Church.
“It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church,” Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur said. “Church is essential.”
Here are more details on the ruling including quotes from Pastor John MacArthur and Thomas More Society lawyers Paul Jonna and Jenna Ellis in the official release from the Thomas More Society:
MacArthur Prevails – Judge Denies LA County’s Fourth Attempt to Shut Down Grace Community Church
Today, August 25, 2020, in California Superior Court, Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued a 5-page opinion County of Los Angeles et al. v. Grace Community Church et al., denying the County of Los Angeles’s renewed application for a temporary restraining order against the church and Pastor John MacArthur. Thomas More Society attorneys are defending the renowned pastor and his congregation against an aggressive assault by the county over the right to hold indoor worship services.
In a very well-reasoned analysis of the prior proceedings, the court held that the county’s attempt to obtain a restraining order did not meet statutory requirements and that the Court of Appeal’s order did not justify a new temporary restraining order; rather, it simply stayed Judge Chalfant’s August 14 order and gave the county permission to enforce its own health order.
Thomas More Society Special Counsel Paul Jonna explained, “The court correctly concluded that Los Angeles County’s renewed application for a temporary restraining order was both procedurally and substantively defective. This was their fourth unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court order prohibiting indoor worship services at Grace Community Church. We look forward to fully vindicating our clients’ constitutionally protected rights in subsequent proceedings for this important case.”
Pastor John MacArthur said of the decision, “We are very grateful to Judge Beckloff for his reasoned opinion and for taking great care to review this very important matter. As I said in my declaration to the court, we see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power. It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church. Church is essential.”
Thomas More Society Special Counsel Jenna Ellis added, “This should signal to LA County that California courts will not quickly or easily trample the constitutionally protected rights of churches. We maintain that their health order is unconstitutionally burdening the right of churches to worship, and there exists no rational basis, much less a compelling interest, to try to shut down indoor services at this point, particularly when the county is allowing strip clubs to operate and massive riots to take place – and not seeking restraining orders against them. We look forward to making those arguments at a subsequent proceeding, where we will ask the court to properly check this power grab by Los Angeles County and the State of California’s executive branch.”
The next hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on September 4, 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Read the order issued August 25, 2020, by Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff in the Superior Court of California – County of Los Angeles – Central District in County of Los Angeles et al. v. Grace Community Church et al. here
6 thoughts on “VICTORY! John MacArthur prevails in fourth trip to court”
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Actually, your reporting is false, and this is not a Victory, even though Thomas More Society would lead you to believe so. The judge only ruled that The Court has no jurisdictional authority to enforce the TRO because the Los Angeles County has the Jurisdictional Authority to Enforce the Public Health Mandate. Did you read the Ruling yourself? Not only is this article false, you are breaking the 9th commandment by Bearing False Witness, and also of gossip.
Now, one could also say, this ruling is actually a Victory for Los Angeles County, because The Superior Court has ruled “The Los Angeles County has the Authority to Enforce their Order.” So when Los Angeles County does enforce their order, then they are already acting with the knowledge that they acted in line with the appellate court and the Superior Court, and have two back to back rulings.
I will no be surprised to see the Los Angeles County along with California State, barricade John McCarthurs Church and possible arrest. we will have to wait and see what the Los Angeles County does next Lord’s Day.
Meanwhile, I would appreciate those with little to know legal knowledge to discontinue just repeating what John McCarthur’s Attorney’s write, which is also false and misleading regarding the judicial procedures and filings and the jot and tittles that must be completed before even getting “your day in court.”
Hey Ginger, the church is still open and allowed to meet and Pastor McArthur is still able to preach. For now, that is in fact a VICTORY!!
politicians ignorant of first amendment
I see no last name. Who are you really? Are you falsely presenting yourself as the meteorologist Ginger Zee? If so, you are breaking the ninth commandment–that is, doing what you accuse the Thomas More Society of doing.
Richard Walters
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I was surprised to find that the judge ruled 4 tyimes in favor of Grace church to meet indoors as the news I was watching said that this church is once more defying the court order and meeting indoors. Completely false news. Ins surprised the news which is supposed to be unbiased is reporting falsely. There is a spirit of defiance that have gone from a politics and penetrated every part of our society. Is the real virus threat every person id living out everyday really corona, are the virus of hate and destruction . if you ask me… The true virus is a DemPanic.