The Supreme Court blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions on attendance on religious services amid rising COVID-19 cases in the state.
“Just before midnight on the night before Thanksgiving, the Supreme Court blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from enforcing attendance limits at religious services,” wrote SCOTUSblog on Twitter. “The vote is 5-4, with Roberts and the three liberals dissenting.”
The ruling comes after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn sued the Democratic governor over his executive actions restricting church attendance earlier this month. In their 5-4 decision, the majority struck down the regulations since they "cannot be viewed as neutral because they single out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment.”
The ruling marked a reversal from a previous Supreme Court case related to religious gatherings amid COVID-19 restrictions, siding with the regulations. That decision came when liberal jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg was still on the bench. Ginsburg died on Sept. 18 and was replaced by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, nominated by President Trump.
