Louisiana has passed two new laws aimed at protecting church services from disruptions and ensuring believers can worship in peace.
Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation that allows pastors, church security teams, and others lawfully on church property to remove trespassers who refuse to leave using “reasonable and apparently necessary force.” The laws also make disrupting a worship service part of the state’s disturbing-the-peace statute.
“In Louisiana, we are committed to maintaining the right to worship without interference,” Landry said. “Those protections just became stronger.”
The measures were introduced after protesters disrupted a service at Cities Church in January, highlighting growing concerns about protecting churches from interference during worship.
