St. Paul City Attorney’s Decision on Church Protest Sparks Legislative Action

Pastor Jonathan Parnell and attorney Doug Wardlow addressed the controversial choice by the St. Paul city attorney to not prosecute anti-ICE protesters who disrupted Cities Church in January. The city attorney described these actions as a ‘peaceful protest.’

This decision has prompted a rare bipartisan response in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lawmakers from both parties aim to address disruptive protests targeting houses of worship. Representatives Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, and Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, are spearheading a bill that would criminalize knowingly impeding people from attending a religious service.

The proposed legislation specifies that any demonstration occurring within 100 feet of a house of worship’s entryway during a set time period would be subject to penalties. This period begins one hour before a scheduled service and ends one hour after its conclusion.

For those found violating these rules, the bill outlines a sequence of fines. A first offense carries a $2,500 civil fine, a second offense incurs a $5,000 penalty, and a third offense leads to a $10,000 fine. However, the bill allows demonstrations that possess a federal, state, or local government-issued permit.

The legislation considers factors like volume and duration rather than content, ensuring First Amendment rights remain intact. Representative Knott emphasized, ‘Many Americans currently worship with concerns of harassment or intimidation, yet the freedom to worship is a fundamental aspect of our nation’s founding.’

Suozzi acknowledged the right to peaceful protest but reinforced that ‘attendees of religious services should not be harassed or threatened.’ He asserted that targeting individuals for expressing their faith is unacceptable.

Prompted by incidents like a Minnesota protest where demonstrators disrupted a service led by a federal immigration official, at least four states have enacted laws this year to prohibit the disturbance of religious services.

Elizabeth Elkind at Fox News Digital continues to provide coverage on developments in the House of Representatives. Follow her on Twitter @liz_elkind or send tips to [email protected].