Last week, a California District Court approved and entered a Settlement Agreement between Harvest Rock Church (HRC), Harvest International Ministries, and Governor Gavin Newsom. HRC filed a lawsuit back in 2020 opposing the COVID restrictions that shut down in-person worship throughout the state. The Supreme Court’s April decision was the catalyst that allowed the settlement of a number of cases against Newsom and the State of California.

A settlement reached by a California church and Gov. Gavin Newsom this week allows an injunction against COVID-19 restrictions on churches.

On Monday, a California District Court entered an order approving Liberty Counsel’s settlement of the lawsuit on behalf of Pasadena’s Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry against the California governor.

Under the settlement, the state of California may no longer impose discriminatory restrictions upon any houses of worship. It’s the first statewide permanent injunction in the country against COVID restrictions on churches and places of worship. The governor must also pay Liberty Counsel $1,350,000 in reimbursement of attorney’s fees and costs.

And they think the Recall is going to be expensive? I’ll take, “Things that could have been avoided for 1 million, Alex.”

As a crucial part of this settlement, the Liberty Counsel obtained a permanent injunction against discrimination and shutdowns for ALL churches in the State.

In Liberty Counsel’s case against Newsom, we have obtained a PERMANENT, STATEWIDE injunction prohibiting him (and the State of California) from EVER issuing another discriminatory COVID restriction on ANY church or place of worship in the state!

No more church closings. No more capacity limits. No more singing bans. No more fines. No more threats of prison. NO MORE. Not ever.

The CA churches are once again FREE to be churches, free to worship and minister to people as the Lord leads, not as government dictates.

The Constitution has been fully restored and vindicated!

Praise the Lord, and pass the fried chicken. As Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel stated:

“Governor Gavin Newsom’s COVID restrictions intentionally discriminated against churches while providing preferential treatment to many secular businesses and gatherings. The Supreme Court intervened multiple times to provide relief. California may never again place discriminatory restrictions on churches and places of worship,” Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said.

HRC opened its in-person services in late May of 2020, joining 1200 other pastors in a day of defiance that set the date for reopening their services despite shutdown orders. Since then, HRC has come under fines and threats from city, county, and state government officials, including threatening parishioners who choose to step foot in the doors to worship.

In his statement, Staver also noted the leadership of Harvest Rock Church’s Senior Pastor Ché Ahn in this fight.

“Pastor Ahn’s leadership and courage has toppled the tyranny and freed every pastor and church in California,” said Staver. “Gov. Gavin Newsom has now been permanently quarantined and may not violate the First Amendment rights of churches and places of worship again.”

Despite this monumental loss, especially in the midst of a recall challenge to his governorship, the happy gaslighting continues in the Newsom administration:

An official spokesperson from Gov. Newsom’s Office sent this statement to Newsweek, “Governor Newsom has always put the health and well-being of Californians first, resulting in the lowest positivity rates in the country and over 35 million shots in arms – more than any other state. This settlement resolves this case while providing clarity and certainty to the public around the public health standards applicable to places of worship following recent rulings by the US Supreme Court.”

“California has led the nation in safely reopening because our decisions are based on what the science and data tells us, and we will continue to do so as we look beyond the Blueprint,” Newsom’s office added.

Sure. Science and data, as long as it doesn’t interfere with political expediency and until SCOTUS slaps you down.