A Kentucky church is suing the state in hopes of stopping the state from punishing its congregation.
Maryville Baptist Church and its pastor, Jack Roberts, filed a lawsuit on Friday, the local ABC-affiliate reports. In the lawsuit, the church argues that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is infringing on its constitutional rights.
In the days leading up to the holiday, Beshear released a statement that anyone who leaves their home to worship on Easter would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.
"This is a time and weekend, a whole week for multiple faiths, that is about faith. It’s about knowing we have faced as people – as Christians, as Jews, as members of many faiths – many difficult, dark times, and we have prevailed," the statement read. "We know that the weeks or the months ahead will be difficult. We know that there are going to be tougher days before there are easier days. But we also know because we have faith that we are going to get through this and we are going to get through it together. We are going to pass this test of humanity."
He went on to explain that anyone who was caught at church will have their license plate recorded and receive a misdemeanor for violation of orders issued by state health officials before being forced to self-quarantine.
As promised, state officials put notices on the cars of those who attended the in-person Easter day service at Maryville Baptist Church. They also gave notices to people who were inside their cars enjoying the service from outside the building.
In the lawsuit, attendees claimed that they practiced social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from each other while they were worshipping. Additionally, a federal judge ruled that a state could not stop people from participating in drive-thru church services. This led members to believe that their fundamental rights were being violated. Beshear said the notices given to those in their cars were mistakes. Per reports, he explained that his regulations are intended to "prohibit person-to-person interaction, not interactions where people remain in a vehicle."
Although he's received push back for this stance, Beshear insists that the regulations are for the state's greater good. As of Saturday, nearly 150 people have died due to the virus, while confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kentucky have climbed to around 2,700.
"This is the only way we can ensure that your decision doesn’t kill someone else," Beshear explained in his statement.
