Federal Judge Blocks NY Governor’s COVID Restrictions on Houses of Worship

LifeSite News ^ | 2/9/21 | Staff

[marshmallow]

Previously, the governor — in a peculiar move — had asked the judge to rule against him and end the restrictions.

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 9, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — A federal district court judge issued an order yesterday blocking New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s capacity limits on Orthodox Jewish synagogues permanently. Previously, the governor — in a peculiar move — had asked the judge to rule against him and end the restrictions. The judge’s order applies to all of the houses of worship in red and orange “zones” in New York, and is one of the first in the country to block percentage-of-occupancy limits on worship attendance.

The decision comes after the Supreme Court found his 10- and 25-person caps on synagogues were discriminatory, other lower courts also ruled against him, and just days ago, a New York Times exposé revealed that nine top New York State health officials resigned after Cuomo told doctors to make up scientific justifications for his COVID lockdown orders.

Cuomo’s retreat — which covered not only the 10- and 25-person caps but also the 25 percent and 33 percent occupancy limits — also came as he faced the prospect of Dr. Howard Zucker, New York’s commissioner of health, having to testify on the witness stand.

The judge’s decision to grant Cuomo’s request to end his own restrictions caps a series of unfortunate events for the governor. In November, the Supreme Court ruled against his restrictions, saying that “even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.”

The Justices also emphasized at the time that “there is no evidence that the applicants have contributed to the......

[PROCON]

WTF, Judge, do you know WHO I am?!

[Gay State Conservative]

Last summer a Federal judge struck down the "executive order" of the Trump hating RINO Governor of Massachusetts declaring gun shops and gun ranges to be "non essential" and,therefore,must be closed.

Although I'm no Constitutional expert I can't for the life of me understand how the US Constitution allows any Governor...Mayor...or President...to declare that one cannot go to work,cannot go to church,cannot go to a gun range,cannot go to a family gathering for a year.

[livius]

All this stuff is ravingly unconstitutional. I don’t know why it is not being contested more often....people just seem to accept it.

[lakecumberlandvet]

I think a large number of people will continue to wear masks/face coverings even if the mandates end.

[livius]

I guess it depends on where you live. Strangely enough, I have noticed that young people are more addicted to their masks than older folks. I’ve even seen a couple of young women wearing double masks outdoors.

I don’t wear one myself, unless it’s absolutely required to get into a place. Then I pull up my bandanna briefly and pull it down again. Normally there’s no problem.

A friend of mine had a man yell at her for not wearing a mask. She just smiled, wished him a nice day and kept on shopping. Best approach, don’t engage.