Federal Judge Largely Denies Motion to Dismiss Christian & Jewish Alliance Suit Over Protests at Mission Church in Carlsbad, California

A federal judge in San Diego largely denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Christian & Jewish Alliance, an interfaith organization, against a group of pro-Palestinian protesters. The organization says the protesters targeted its worship services and members over its support for Israel. At a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Schopler found that, at this stage, the plaintiffs had adequately claimed that the protesters disrupted and blocked the entrances to three interfaith events the group hosted last year.

The organization accuses eight named individual defendants and 40 unnamed defendants of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances Act, known as the FACE Act. The statute allows criminal or civil action against anyone who obstructs the entrance of a medical facility, and it also bars obstruction of places of worship.

The first event, according to the plaintiffs, took place on March 19, 2025, at the Carlsbad, California, location of Mission Church. The alliance says it invited church members and guests to worship and to learn about supporting Israel. The event drew about 400 attendees and included a speech by Einat Wilf, a former member of the Israeli Knesset. The plaintiffs say the protesters entered under false names and, at staggered intervals, shouted epithets to disrupt Wilf’s speech. They further allege that when security apprehended the protesters, the protesters physically resisted removal.

The plaintiffs also describe a demonstration outside the church, which they characterize as a “mob,” that occupied the space in front of the entrance and used bullhorns. They say it created a chaotic bottleneck that attendees had to pass through.

The defendants dispute that account. Defense attorney Thomas Harvey said the protesters inside began their protest only after Wilf’s speech started, and he argued that a group intent on disrupting worship would not have waited until the service was over. Attorney John Brinkerhoff countered that the entire event was worship. Judge Schopler said that the defendants were plausibly aware that their conduct during a Wednesday night worship event would interfere with a worship exercise, even if they did not intend to disrupt one. He also said he had to assume the facts alleged were true and read them in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, adding that the defendants might prevail on summary judgment as the facts emerged.

The plaintiffs further allege that protesters returned for an Easter service the following month, again using bullhorns and signs that accused church members of supporting genocide. On Sept. 7, 2025, the plaintiffs say, demonstrators marched back and forth in the parking lot of the Legacy International Center, denouncing Israel with bullhorns and signs, and occasionally struck passing vehicles with their hands in an attempt to intimidate attendees.

Defense attorneys argued that the Legacy International Center did not qualify as a place of worship. Judge Schopler rejected that argument in denying the motion to dismiss. He did not, however, grant the plaintiffs’ separate motion for a preliminary injunction that would have barred some of the defendants from demonstrating at the church in the future.

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