No matter what Andrew Cuomo may think, the Constitution doesn’t stop existing in a pandemic.
Contravening the Democrat’s arbitrary orders, the United States Supreme Court reminded the governor of New York that there are indeed limitations on his authority with a decision Wednesday that struck a knockout blow to Cuomo’s restrictions on religious worship, Fox News reported.
SCOTUS strikes down Cuomo’s restrictions
After months of more or less arbitrary policies by Cuomo and like-minded governors in what they say is an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, many were heartened to see the New York Democrat chastened and the rule of law upheld for a change last week.
According to the New York Post, the high court sided 5–4 with embattled Catholics and Jews in New York City, agreeing to issue a temporary injunction against policies that “single out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment,” a clear-cut violation of the First Amendment.
The justices validated a grievance shared by many frustrated Americans throughout the coronavirus pandemic — namely, that many politicians seem to have made it their policy that secular activity is preferable to religious worship.
“The only explanation for treating religious places differently seems to be a judgment that what happens there just isn’t as ‘essential’ as what happens in secular spaces,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion.
“Indeed, the Governor is remarkably frank about this: In his judgment laundry and liquor, travel and tools, are all ‘essential’ while traditional religious exercises are not. That is exactly the kind of discrimination the First Amendment forbids,” he added.
Cuomo, liberals crow at Barrett
To let people shop at liquor stores while barring them from going to church is obviously unfair — and as Gorsuch said, it reflects a prejudice against religion that is plainly unconstitutional. Then again, the left doesn’t exactly hide their prejudice.
In a show of hostility to religion, critics on the left — including liberal justices on the high court itself — crowed that the Supreme Court was going against “science” and jeopardizing lives. Some argued that the court was showing itself to have been corrupted into an “illegitimate” institution by President Donald Trump, with many ripping conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a recent Trump appointee who cast the deciding vote.
For his part, Gov. Cuomo dismissed the Wednesday decision as “irrelevant,” noting that the restrictions had since been removed, as the New York Post reported, although he could bring them back at any time.
“The Supreme Court made a ruling. It’s more illustrative of the Supreme Court than anything else,” Cuomo said, according to the Post.
But while many on the left might not personally find religion important, it’s not their place — or Cuomo’s — to decide which rights people “need” protected. For now, the Supreme Court has spoken.
The post Report: Supreme Court shoots down Cuomo's restrictions on worship services in New York first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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