The lower District Court ruled against the church. But an appeal to the 9th Circuit led to a three-judge panel last December ruling in favor of Calvary Chapel, saying that the government could have imposed limitations on churches similar to those imposed on other entities like retail stores, while still achieving the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19, The Nevada Independent reported.

The court ruled Calvary Chapel's claim that its First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion had been hindered by the State would likely succeed on the merits. At the time of the December 2020 9th Circuit ruling, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman representing the church called it a "significant win."

"There is no constitutional right to gamble, but there is one that protects attending worship services," he said. "The government has a duty to respect the First Amendment, so it can't single out churches for harsher treatment than secular activities. Today, the Ninth Circuit made clear that, at a minimum, Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley can't be treated more harshly than Nevada's casinos, bowling alleys, retail businesses, restaurants, and arcades. Such disparate treatment is both illogical and unconstitutional."

Calvary Chapel's Senior Pastor Garry Leist told Fox and Friends the congregation was excited about the ruling in their favor.

"We're just extremely pleased to be able to come together to once again worship in person because of just how vital and essential it is to families of faith and the entire community," he said.

Now the state of Nevada has agreed to pay Calvary Chapel's legal bills incurred while defending its constitutional rights.

The Nevada Board of Examiners unanimously approved a request this week from the Office of the Attorney General to pay a tort claim to Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in the amount of $175,000, according to The Christian Post. 

Susan Brown, chief of the board, explained at the meeting that the $175,000 payment was "to comply with the consent decree in this case that requires the state of Nevada to pay reasonable attorney fees." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Valedictorian Goes Viral for Declaring the Love of Jesus to Her Classmates

Ohio: Schools Taken to Task for Instructing Students to Make Idols for Ritual in Class

Google Doesn't Want You to See This Letter from a Christian Pastor About Pride Month

Instagram Algorithms Promoted 'Vast Pedophile Network,' New Analysis Reveals

Lesson from Canadian Fires: We Need Better Forest Management, Not Utopian Fantasies

Donald Trump Indicted Same Day 'Treasonous' Biden Doc Released to Congress: Rep. Elise Stefanik

Give Him 15: The Increase of His Government; Hope for America and the World

Honoring Pat Robertson, Who Died at 93 This Morning: Witness to a God-Sized, World-Changing Dream

Biden's Council to Keep Churches Safe Includes Al Sharpton and 'Three Islamists': Exposing the Left-leaning, so-called 'Faith-Based Security Advisory Council'

First US Religious Charter School a Victory for Educational Freedom

Gender Clinic Quietly Closes, Erases Website in the 'Middle of the Night' after Offering Transgender Treatments to Minors

He Went Undercover to Expose 'Rubber-Stamping' of Trans Surgeries

Prayer Alert: Canada's Wildfire Smoke Envelopes Huge Swaths of North America [Watch]

Judge Jeanine Blocked by Fox News from Speaking at Church Services, says Publisher

Fox News Tells Tucker Carlson to Stop Twitter or Else!

Missionaries Report Muslims Meeting Jesus in Dreams 'In Levels We Have Never Seen in 1,400 Years!'

#31times You Saw a Trafficked Child But Didn't Know It

Following the Fall of Roe, June Is a Month to Celebrate Life: 'It's a total God thing!'

KC Chiefs' Harrison Butker's Wardrobe Makes Pro-Life Statement during Chiefs' White House Visit on Monday

Americans Believe There Are Only Two Genders By a 3-1 Margin