California’s war on Christians continues…
Recently Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Evette Pennypacker ruled that Calvary Chapel San Jose to pay $1.2 million in fines for violating Santa Clara County’s lockdown in 2020-2021.
The judge reduced the fine from $3 million.
During the Covid pandemic, Governor Newsome ordered churches to comply with his mandatory lockdowns and not meet.
Calvary Chapel church sued Governor Newsom over the shutdown mandates, remained open, and didn’t force anyone to wear a mask or distance themselves—They left it up to the people in the congregation to decide.
The case went all the way to the Supreme Court.
Here are 4 things you should know…
1) Judicial Activist Tramples 1st Amendment Rights
Judge Pennypacker decided to ignore the United States Supreme Court rulings in favor of the church’s 1st Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of all churches several times in cases from 2020 and early 2021, including Calvary Chapel’s case, regarding COVID limitations.
The Supreme Court ruled against California’s closure mandates because they interfered with religious liberty.
The Supreme Court ruled that Santa Clara County must allow churches to resume services. The Court also ruled that the government could not discriminate by putting more limits on churches than secular businesses.
However, county officials have argued that their restrictions enacted the same mandates on churches and businesses.
Pennypacker’s ruling shows she’s a judicial activist, ruling based on her beliefs and not the Constitution or the rule of law. She blatantly thumbed her nose at the Supreme Court ruling.
Former radical pro-socialist Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Judge Pennypacker to the bench.
She is one of the most radical Judges, getting a 0.86 out of 10 rating for being a judicial activist.
She’s donated to the DNC on multiple occasions, including to Hillary Clinton’s and Kamala Harris’ campaigns.
She’ll be up for reelection in 2026.
2) What She Said was Shocking
Judge Pennypacker ordered the church to pay $1.2 million in fines saying, “It should appear clear to all—regardless of religious affiliation, that wearing a mask while worshiping helps protect others while still exercising your rights to religious freedom.”
Pennypacker’s comments fly in the face of science and reason regarding all we know about masks and their lack of effectiveness. Masks simply do not work to stop the spread or prevent getting Covid… the Virus is small enough to pass through the spaces in the weaving of the mask.
A recent worldwide peer-reviewed scientific study concluded that masks did “almost nothing to stop the spread of respiratory diseases like Covid.
Seems Judge Pennypacker is a “science denier.”
3) Santa Clara County and the State of California Abuses freedom for political power
Pastor Mike McClure announced he would keep his church open for services and to serve the community– a community he’s served for over 30 years.
Keeping the church open saved its congregants from alcohol and drug addiction, depression, and possibly suicide—afflictions that plagued many during the lockdowns.
But the county and State did not like the church exercising their 1st Amendment rights…
For the politicians, it was all about control.
Even though The Supreme Court struck down California’s ban on indoor worship in 2021, Santa Clara County, the State of California, and the Judge didn’t care as long as the church was punished for their defiance…
It didn’t matter to them that the church helped the community during the lockdowns.
4) How Santa Clara’s overreach was like a move out of Communist China’s playbook
During the trial, court papers revealed that Santa Clara conducted secret surveillance on the church and its members.
They used a high-tech technique called geofencing to track those attending the church through their cell phone data.
The country also paid independent researchers to analyze the data—
The county also paid its “enforcement squad” $219 an hour for on-site visits to Calvary Chapel and $800 an hour for researchers to analyze the data.
The county also encouraged residents to report and inform each other.
5) What’s next in the battle
Calvary Church’s Attorney Robert Tyler, a lawyer with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said, “This case will not likely end until the U.S. Supreme Court rebukes Santa Clara County again. The Judge’s opinion is deficient in its analysis and provides an excellent appeal.”
To see other articles on the Calvary Chapel San Jose court case and Pastor Mike McClure see HERE and HERE.