The Supreme Court Slaps Down Gov. Cuomo

Just in time to brighten up Thanksgiving, the United States Supreme Court offered a stinging rebuke to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Nothing in this world is more pathetic than the praise that has been heaped on Cuomo for presiding over the state that has led the nation in coronavirus deaths, largely because of his decisions.

The case before the Court involved the Cuomo edict limiting the number of participants in religious services. Cuomo has especially targeted the orthodox Jewish community for holding events where masks were rarely in evidence.

The Wall Street Journal reported:

The Supreme Court blocked New York from imposing strict limits on attendance at religious services to combat Covid-19, with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett casting the pivotal vote to depart from past cases that deferred to state authorities on public-health measures.

In orders issued shortly before midnight Wednesday, the court, in a 5-4 vote, set aside attendance limits that Gov. Andrew Cuomo imposed on houses of worship in areas most severely affected by the coronavirus: 10 people in red zones and 25 in orange zones. Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices dissented.

Why did the Court decide as it did:

The court found it troubling that businesses the state considered “essential” weren’t subject to the same occupancy limits. Those included “things such as acupuncture facilities, campgrounds, garages, as well as many whose services are not limited to those that can be regarded as essential, such as all plants manufacturing chemicals and microelectronics and all transportation facilities,” the court said.

“Members of this Court are not public health experts, and we should respect the judgment of those with special expertise and responsibility in this area,” the opinion said. But New York’s restrictions “strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.”

And Justice Neil Gorsuch offered this:

“It is time—past time—to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques,” he wrote.