Two Kansas churches and their pastors have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Laura Kelly over an order restricting religious gatherings to no more than 10 people to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Kansas on Thursday argued that Kelly's directive violates the churches' and pastors' religious, assembly and free-speech rights.
The lawsuit comes eight days after top Republican legislative leaders attempted to revoke Kelly's order themselves, only to see the Democratic governor thwart their efforts by contesting their action before the Kansas Supreme Court.
The lawsuit was filed by First Baptist Church in Dodge City and Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and their pastors. The lawsuit said both churches held indoor services Easter Sunday with 20 or more members of the congregation present. Both churches had congregation members sit 6 feet apart, in line with public health recommendations on social distancing and took numerous other steps, such as not using collection plates, the lawsuit said.
Kelly's statewide stay-at-home order took effect March 30 and is set to remain in effect until May 3. It exempts "essential" activities such as buying groceries and obtaining medical care. In a response the governor's office said they are reviewing the lawsuit but added, "This is not about restricting religion, it is about keeping people safe and saving Kansans' lives."
