Today's Weather In Washington, DC Is 67 And Rain

Social media, insofar as it's taken notice, is celebrating what it thinks is a big win for Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, DC.

A D.C. church that filed suit against the District of Columbia has won injunctive relief from a federal judge and can begin holding church services in the city again.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! But let's go past the first paragraph.

In a statement, Capitol Hill Baptist Church Pastor Justin Sok said the church is, “thankful that the court has granted us” the ability to hold services in D.C. again. The church, which counts most of its members as D.C. residents, had been holding services at a field in Alexandria, Virginia.

“With this ruling in hand, we are speaking with the operators of a variety of outdoor venues to move our weekly gathering from Virginia to D.C.,” he said.

. . . The judge’s ruling only affects Capitol Hill Baptist Church and no other religious organization that’s still currently barred from holding any indoor or outdoor service with more than 100 people.

So let me figure this out. Capitol Hill Baptist had been meeting in an Alexandria, VA field, which of course is just across the river from the District. In effect, they get to move to another field -- or maybe even socially distanced in high school bleachers or something -- five miles closer to home.

In the fall, that is, when they can find a place to host them. November weather in Washingon has an average high of 59, with an average of six days of rain.

And this applies only to Capitol Hill Baptist. If any other parish in DC had been meeting in an Alexandria field, well, good luck, keep on meeting in the field. Maybe your attorney can get you the same deal, that is, if you file suit in federal court on the same basis Capitol Hill Baptist did. You'll spend thousands of dollars and wait weeks or months so you can meet outdoors at Christmas in the District, not in Maryland or Virginia.

Big whoop.

The DC federal courts continue to function as a well-oiled machine. How on earth is this a favorable ruling? The parishioners at Capitol Hill Baptist, in an exclusive deal, get to shiver in the rain on this side of the Potomac and not in Virginia! And Mark Tapscott at Instapundit thinks this is great!

This raises another question, which is that in other areas like California, the civil authorities have graciously allowed churches to worship outdoors, socially distanced, of course, with no singing and limits on attendance, all summer. But the weather is changing, while the civil authorities may or may not change their rulings to accommodate. That Mayor Bowser, actually the court, would now allow Capitol Hill Baptist to worship outdoors in the middle of winter, a few short months away, is moot.

The churches need better strategy and better lawyers, because these lockdowns aren't going away.