A Christian church in California that was ordered to pay $1.2 million in fines for refusing to enforce local mask mandates as it continued to hold services in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 outbreak has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s ruling.
“This case stands as one of the clearest examples of government overreach against a church in modern American history,” declared Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the attorney group that has long represented Calvary Chapel in San Jose, California, and its Pastor Mike McClure, in a statement shared with LifeSiteNews.
Calvary Chapel began to openly defy its Silicon Valley county’s harsh lockdown rules after an initial two months of compliance in 2020, recognizing the serious spiritual needs of their congregants to return to worship and community….
The church welcomed back its members and refused to enforce the public health mandates, saying they were unconstitutional. In consequence, the church saw not only the return of its congregation, but a substantial influx of new attendees as well.
After the Court of Appeal denied the church’s request for a rehearing, and the Supreme Court of California declined to review the case, they asked ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow for help in taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The ACLJ agreed, and on December 12, 2025, along AFF as co-counsel, ACLJ filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the highest court in the land.
The Supreme Court is likely to announce sometime in spring 2026 whether it will hear the case of Calvary Chapel San Jose v. California.
From LifeSiteNews
I visited a Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills with friends a few years ago. I didn’t dress in my Roman Collar. I was with friends who were previously Catholic, but who had switched.
The preacher went into a short diatribe about the Catholic Church. I had to laugh. He got everything we believe wrong. He probably relied on what uninformed Catholics said and didn’t do his homework.
Still, I support Calvary Chapel in refusing to allow the government to tell them what to do.
Many in California, including many Catholics, were grateful for Pastor Mike, even if they didn’t say so publicly. I know another evangelical pastor in the area who, while technically not having services open to the public during the shut-down, didn’t lock the doors during live-streaming and some parishioners, and maybe even others, showed up. Calvary Chapel received new members during this time, as did some other churches, including a few Catholic ones, that remained open. Archbishop Cordileone pointed out how ridiculous it was to limit his cathedral to 10 persons when it seats 2,400 (not counting standing room). One of our daughters and her husband had to get married “outside of the church.” A priest friend of mine died during that time and only 10 persons could attend his funeral. It was held in a large church, yet we had to watch via live stream. I’m all for reasonable health precautions. Yet, as Calvary Chapel contended, and the US Supreme Court agreed, what’s good for Costco (or Walmart or casinos) is good for the church. Religious gatherings should not be restricted more than any others, probably even less. Remember, the First Amendment?
Another example of the California Democratic controlled government’s animus toward Christianity.