While churches and schools in San Diego are being met with intensified restrictions on in-person meetings, a California judge has ordered that San Diego strip clubs can reopen
According to The Christian Post, a decision from San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil said that the state must end any actions prohibiting the strip clubs from “being allowed to provide live adult entertainment.”
This decision comes after two strip club owners filed a lawsuit in October. Last month, two San Diego strip club owners contended that the county’s public health orders violated their constitutional rights of due process and equal protection under the law, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Washington Beacon noted that the judge’s decision is not final as a full hearing is scheduled to take place at the end of the month.
Last week, San Diego returned to the state’s purple tier lockdown procedures amid increased COVID-19 cases. The order requires restaurants, gyms and churches to move to outdoor-only services and places capacity restrictions on retail businesses and in-person school classes.
Throughout the past several months, many California churches have faced legal battles with local and state officials over restrictions on holding indoor services.
Paul Jonna, special counsel for the conservative legal group Thomas More Society, explained to the Beacon that the churches should be allowed the same constitutional rights as strip clubs, as stated in the First Amendment.
“If you’re going to accept that argument that dancing nude is protected speech that’s so significant that it overcomes the government’s interest in regulating its citizens with COVID-19 orders, then obviously the divine worship of God, which is expressly mentioned in the First Amendment, should be held to a higher standard,” Jonna argued.
“A judge who understands the Constitution will recognize the absurdity of the current state of the law. I think it’s a good sign that judges are starting to question whether the government has a legitimate interest in regulating any business or industry at this point,” he continued.
In a similar statement, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond explained how it is better to see where exactly people are getting sick instead of shutting down all businesses.
He tweeted last Tuesday, “if we’ve learned anything over the past seven months, it’s that this shotgun approach of closing all businesses doesn’t work. Instead, we need to look at where people are getting sick and approach it with a scalpel. Shutting down an entire industry goes too far.”
If we’ve learned anything over the past seven months it’s that this shotgun approach of closing all businesses doesn’t work. Instead, we need to look at where people are getting sick and approach it will a scalpel. Shutting down an entire industry goes too far.