Episode 188: Jeffrey M. Trissell, Esq., on his book Unlocking the Churches (July 15, 2025)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Jeffrey Trissell on his book Unlocking the Churches: The Legal Victory Against California's Pandemic-Era Religious Discrimination. (July 15, 2025)

“[I]t could be well said that a country, preserved at the sacrifice of all the cardinal principles of liberty, is not worth the cost of preservation.”  — The Supreme Court in Ex Parte Milligan, 1866 

This firsthand account by Jeffrey M. Trissell, Esq., one of the attorneys who fought on “the front lines” in the heroic legal battles during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic, unravels the controversies surrounding the unprecedented lockdown of churches. He served on a legal team that represented churches in three lawsuits seeking to strike down California governor Gavin Newsom’s church-closure orders. His team’s efforts ultimately resulted in the only two successful victories in the lower courts in California, three trips to the U.S. Supreme Court within a year, and a permanent injunction entered against Governor Newsom and the State of California. 

In these shocking pages, which include a foreword by Tom Brejcha, Trissell deftly weaves the history of that legal fight with fascinating historical anecdotes and clear explanations of legal terminologies and their present-day applications. He evaluates questions regarding this extraordinary lockdown, such as:

• Can and should constitutional rights be curtailed during a national emergency, or is protection of those rights most important during emergencies?
• Is religious liberty quickly becoming a second-tier constitutional right that the government can feel free to ignore?
• Is worship deserving of more protection than other activities, or is it simply a disposable pastime? If so, why didn’t more faith leaders push back?
• Can and should public protests, such as the George Floyd riots, be permitted when worship is not?
• What did the national emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic reveal about the dangers of state laws that contravene the separation of powers doctrine?
• What legal and moral recourse do the faithful have in the face of unjust laws?

Recalling the powerful examples of St. Thomas More and others in standing up for their beliefs in the face of tyranny, Trissell challenges believers not to remain silent in times of persecution: A faith worth dying for is a faith worth living for. 

Unlocking the Churches: The Legal Victory Against California's Pandemic-Era Religious Discrimination: Jeffrey Trissell: 9798889115106: Amazon.com: Books