Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. | YouTube/Tony Spell
A judge in Louisiana has rejected a motion filed by controversial Pastor Tony Spell to quash six misdemeanor charges filed against him for holding church services in violation of state orders aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.
Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose of Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court denied Spell’s motion Monday, ruling that the constitutionality of Gov. John Bel Edwards has already been confirmed by courts.
Spell, the leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Central who made national headlines last year by holding large in-person worship gatherings in defiance of Bell’s pandemic measures, had argued that government limits on gatherings at the church violated the congregation’s First Amendment rights.