Judge sides with governor in legal fight over Central pastor s coronavirus violations
2 months 6 days 15 hours ago
Monday, January 25 2021
Jan 25, 2021
January 25, 2021 6:07 PM
January 25, 2021
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Source: WBRZ
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BATON ROUGE - A judge has denied a local pastor s attempt to have criminal complaints filed against him tossed after he flagrantly refused to obey Louisiana s stay-at-home order during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose in East Baton Rouge ruled that Governor Edwards rules installed to curb the spread of the virus took precedence over Pastor Tony Spell s claim that the First Amendment gave him the right to gather large groups for services despite the dangers presented by the virus.
Court hears Tony Spellâs motion to quash charges against him for violating coronavirus restrictions Tony Spell was arrested on April 21 after video showed him backing a church bus in the direction of a protester. (Source: WAFB) By Austin Kemker | January 25, 2021 at 3:39 PM CST - Updated January 25 at 9:15 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Central pastor who claims the governorâs COVID-19 restrictions are violation of his first amendment rights skipped out on his hearing Monday.
Instead, like pastor Tony Spell has done in past hearings, he was outside the courthouse with members of his congregation.
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The hearing was to rule on Spellâs motion to quash the six misdemeanor charges against him for violating the governorâs emergency orders. Spell held services at his Life Tabernacle Church without any capacity restrictions.
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.