Romanian Lawusit Against Illinois Gov Pritzger

In addition to the Illinois Evangelical parish that's filed suit against Illinois Gov Pritzker that I covered last week, a declaration has been issued by what I believe are Romanian Orthodox congregations represented by another public-interest law firm, Liberty Counsel:

Romanian pastors in Illinois have issued a declaration to Gov. J.B. Pritzker announcing they are opening their churches for in-person services on May 10, with proper and extensive social distancing and safety precautions. Liberty Counsel represents these pastors and churches and will be filing a federal lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker’s unconstitutional orders.

. . . We recognize your recent attempt to change course, yet we deem your April 30, 2020 allowance of churches to gather together with only 10 persons or less wholly inadequate. We regard this as further evidence of the arbitrary nature of your orders.

. . . Our willing compliance with your orders thus far has been voluntary. But this should not be misunderstood as our acquiescence to the improper and unconstitutional authority you have sought to exercise over our worship.

Your orders are in clear violation of our First Amendment rights. The Constitution and the rights enshrined therein are not suspended during a pandemic, and neither is our religion.

This reiterates an issue that's struck me, that citizens have been voluntarily complying with so-called "social distancing" measures that have no legal basis and only a very vague epidemiological justification, and in any case, they aren't consistently enforced. "Essential" businesses have far more flexibility in observing them, while other activities, like church services, are either prohibited entirely or, like we've seen in Kansas City, severely limited in attendance.