Federal Lawsuit Aims at Officials Who Tried to Stop Worship Services

What does an ordinary citizen do when his state and local public officials are aligned not to protect his constitutional liberties but to violate them?

Rev. Tony Spell has gotten a good taste of what that’s like. The pastor has been targeted by the governor, commander of state police, state fire marshal, sheriff, mayor-president, police chief, and judge, each of whom has gone out of his way to try to have him arrested, shut down his church, or urge the public not to attend services protected by the Constitutions of the state and federal governments.

Last week, he decided what to do — he filed suit in federal district court seeking an injunction against some of those officials and damages for harm they have done.

The suit recounts in detail how the public officials have unleashed the power of their offices on him, even having him arrested and fitting him with an ankle bracelet for the crime of violating the governor’s order and holding church services.

The essence of the suit is that Governor John Bel Edwards has no power to suspend the Declaration of Rights of the Louisiana Constitution or the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution, both of which clearly protect the right to Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Assembly.

Rev. Spell is represented by retired Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Baton Rouge attorney Jeff Wittenbrink.

The case is before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson of the Middle District for Baton Rouge.