Roberts joins liberal justices to rule against church challenging harsh COVID restrictions

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the high court's liberal justices to rule against a California church seeking to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom's limits on church attendance.

The significant development received little attention due to ongoing protests and riots in cities across the U.S., sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd.

In a 5-4 decision, which was handed down just before midnight, Roberts and the Supreme Court's liberal justices ruled against South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista.

The ruling upholds Newsom's restrictions, which limit churches to 25% capacity or 100 maximum total attendees during a church service. South Bay United, which typically sees between 200-300 worshipers during its services, challenged the order by arguing that it violated their First Amendment rights.