Over 1,200 pastors across California have vowed to reopen their churches for in-person services on May 31, a sweeping act of protest against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s restrictions on religious gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic. Robert H. Tyler, a lawyer for a church that has sued the state over the shelter-in-place order, told Newsom that the pastors signed a “Declaration of Essentiality” in an effort to defy the state order and distinguish their churches as essential services. “This letter was not sent for the purposes of asking for permission,” Tyler wrote in a letter to the governor. “We believe you are attempting to act in the best interests of the state, but the restrictions have gone too far and for too long.”

California is now in its second phase of easing restrictions with strict social distancing guidelines, allowing factories, retail stores, and child care facilities to reopen. Churches are not included until phase three, which will allow higher-risk businesses—such as hair salons and gyms—to reopen. Eric S. Dreiband, the head of the federal Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told Newsom earlier this week that his reopening plan places an “unfair burden” on churches, saying that they “must not be singled out for special burdens.”