A federal judge in Washington, D.C., appeared skeptical of the district's restrictions against houses of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing a church's practices to those of protesters who publicly gathered over the summer.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden of the District of Columbia heard arguments Wednesday in the lawsuit brought by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and the First Liberty Institute on behalf of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church. The case has also caught the interest of the Department of Justice, which filed a statement of interest against the D.C. restrictions. Jones Day lawyers have also filed an amicus brief in support of the church on behalf of Republican lawmakers.