Last night, the SCOTUS ruled 5-4 to limit Governor Andrew Cuomo’s actions against houses of worship.
In the second page of the ruling it was noted that “statements made [by Cuomo] in connection with the challenged rules, can be viewed as targeting the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community.” Indeed, the governor’s zones and rhetoric in early-to-mid October kept singling out Orthodox Jewish-populated areas and Orthodox Jews in general when cases were rising in places with no Orthodox communities in it. By running his mouth against Orthodox Jews in ways that he would not do to any other group of people, Governor Cuomo helped secure a 5-4 ruling at the Supreme Court which assures that religion will not face harsher rules than those imposed on secular activists.
As Justice Gorsuch writes, “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.”
Thank you to supporters of OJPAC for giving us the tools and reach to shine a light on Cuomo’s one sided actions and rhetoric, and a special thanks to Agudath Israel of America for joining the lawsuit of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Brooklyn. Many of the points presented by Agudath helped shape the ruling.
Pease take a moment to see our latest video, released yesterday morning on this topic. Thanks!