The group is asking the judge to rule that canceling its rally violates its constitutional rights to free speech, religious expression and free assembly. It also wants Hollander to order the pavilion manager to “honor its contractual relationships” with St. Michael’s.
St. Michael’s lawsuit said its founder and CEO, Michael Voris, spoke with Shea about the cancellation in August. The city attorney told Voris that his office had seen reports that St. Michael’s had “ties” to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the lawsuit says.
“Mr. Voris immediately told Shea that this was categorically false and asked for the source of any such reports. Shea responded that he had not found any such reports himself, but that unspecified ‘people’ had told him such reports were widely available on the internet,” the suit says.
In its court filing, the city describes Church Militant as “an active propagandist” for baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. Church Militant “promoted and exalted” the rioters who stormed the Capitol, and Voris glorified the insurrectionists during a broadcast the night of Jan. 6, the city attorneys wrote.
St. Michael’s claims the city also wanted to cancel the rally because its leaders prefer the bishops’ adherence to “modern mainstream Catholic doctrine.” The city said the group’s religious convictions have nothing to do with the cancellation.
This article originally appeared here.
