Los Angeles County v. Grace Community Church

In March 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared that houses of worship must remain closed indefinitely due to fears of the spread of coronavirus.

At this time, Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church remained open and chose to defy the illegitimate and unconstitutional order. On July 24, 2020, Grace Community Church issued a statement explaining their decision.

The City of Los Angeles responded to Pastor MacArthur with a cease-and-desist letter and a daily fine of $1000 or arrest. In August of 2020, Thomas More Society began representing Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church.

June of 2021, Thomas More Society reached secured settlements in two other major church lockdown cases involving houses of worship. In both of those cases, the State of California agreed to enter permanent injunctions that prohibit the State from ever again imposing discriminatory restrictions on all houses of worship statewide.

August 31, 2021, Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church announced that the State of California and the County of Los Angeles had agreed to pay $800,000 in attorney's fees after state and federal courts in California issued permanent injunctions prohibiting the State of California or any of its agencies from discriminating against houses of worship.