The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
The terms of the agreement largely reflected a relaxed set of restrictions that Bowser put in place last week. Those eased limits came after the archdiocese alleged in a lawsuit that the District’s attendance caps on places of worship ran afoul of constitutional religious protections.
During a Tuesday hearing before a federal judge in Washington, an attorney for the archdiocese, Anthony Dick of the law firm Jones Day, referred to the deal as a “Christmas truce.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Under the agreement, houses of worship in the nation s capital can admit up to 25 percent of their capacity or up to 250 people whichever is smaller. Before the church’s lawsuit, houses of worship in the District were limited to the smaller of a 50 person cap or a 50 percent capacity limit.