A Wisconsin constitutional amendment headed for the November 2026 ballot would prohibit government from closing places of worship or forbidding gatherings there during declared emergencies, including public-health emergencies. The proposal grew out of disputes over COVID-era restrictions. Its central tension is whether religious exercise deserves an absolute constitutional protection from closure orders or should instead receive strong equal-treatment protection while remaining subject to genuinely necessary, neutral emergency rules that apply to comparable gatherings. Government should not treat worship as less important than comparable secular activity. Absolute exemptions are harder: a rule written for every conceivable emergency must also work when a gathering itself creates an immediate danger to participants or neighbors.
What protection should places of worship receive during a declared emergency?