Posted on 05/31/2020 1:12:09 PM PDT by Bob Ireland
A sharply divided Supreme Court late Friday turned aside a church's urgent plea that California's coronavirus lockdown orders are putting an unconstitutional burden on religious freedom.
Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's liberals in rejecting a San Diego church's request for relief from Gov. Gavin Newsom's most recent directive limiting churches to 25% of their normal maximum capacity, with an absolute maximum of 100 people at any service.
In a three-page opinion {pdf} issued just before the stroke of midnight Washington time, Roberts said it would be unwise for the court to intervene on an emergency basis as state officials try to grapple with the ebb and flow of a pandemic caused by a highly infectious and sometimes deadly virus.
. . . . . . . . .
The court's four other GOP appointees dissented, with three of them joining in an opinion written by the court's newest member, Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh. He said the California policy "indisputably discriminates against religion."
"I would grant the Churchs requested temporary injunction because Californias latest safety guidelines discriminate against places of worship and in favor of comparable secular businesses. Such discrimination violates the First Amendment," Kavanaugh wrote. "Absent a compelling justification (which the State has not offered), the State may not take a looser approach with, say, supermarkets, restaurants, factories, and offices while imposing stricter requirements on places of worship."
"The Illinois Department of Public Health issued new guidance on May 28. The denial is without prejudice to Applicants filing a new motion for appropriate relief if circumstances warrant," the court wrote in a brief order Friday evening.
The order appeared to be unanimous, as no justice publicly recorded any dissent.
Ping
Roberts is mad at churches, because they condemn his closeted gay lifestyle.
Can’t go to church but you can travel from other states to protest/riot.
Not a freedom of religion issue. It’s a virus tax.
So, Roberts threw out the Bill of Rights. Scary. Is there a way back, like a case not on an emergency basis?
Thanks alot George W. Bush for the worthless POS John Roberts.
If cops can’t control rioters, they aren’t going to be able to stop people going to church, either.
Roberts said it would be unwise for the court to intervene on an emergency basis as state officials try to grapple with the ebb and flow of a pandemic caused by a highly infectious and sometimes deadly virus”
Right! Of course! Because the Constitution is not designed to interfere with important governmental officials at work! Bless their hearts!
You sold us out to Obamacare because Obama had the skinny on your illegal adoption from Ireland. Scumbag traitor
I think it might be what one would call selective enforcement.
Expose the skinny then.
He is their puppet on a string.
Roberts has been a disaster. Creating Obamacare law and now siding against religious freedom. A son of Satan
Seriously. I wish someone would just expose this jerk once and for all and be done with him.
I DO think that the churches are going to have to defy these orders and go to jail if need be. Let the tyrant governors suffer the consequences of their tyranny - political prisoners.
My Sunday meeting place reopened last week; I complimented the pastor on his courage. {so far no SWAT raids!}
Another example of where one POS begets another.
“Thanks a lot George W. Bush for the worthless POS John Roberts”
Roberts is cut from the same cloth as the President who nominated him: Talks conservative, but whose actions indicate a closet globalist.
To use an old term, "Roberts is PWNED!"
TXnMA
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