Saturday, December 06, 2025
33.0°F

Supreme Court rules against NY coronavirus restrictions

Jessica Gresko | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
by Jessica Gresko
| November 25, 2020 9:27 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide, the Supreme Court late Wednesday temporarily barred New York from enforcing certain attendance limits at houses of worship in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.

The court’s action won’t have any immediate impact since the two groups that sued as a result of the restrictions, the Catholic church and Orthodox Jewish synagogues, are no longer subject to them. The groups had challenged attendance limits in areas designated red and orange zones, but they are now in the less-restrictive yellow zones.

The justices split 5-4, with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the majority, her first publicly discernible vote as a justice. The court’s three liberal justices and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented.

The move is a shift for the court. Earlier in this year, when Barrett’s liberal predecessor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was on the court, the justices divided 5-4 to leave in place pandemic-related capacity restrictions affecting churches in California and Nevada.

ARTICLES BY JESSICA GRESKO

September 10, 2021 12:06 a.m.

Supreme Court hanging up phone, back to in-person arguments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices are putting the “court” back in Supreme Court.

September 9, 2021 12:03 a.m.

Supreme Court hanging up phone, back to in-person arguments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices are putting the “court” back in Supreme Court.

September 8, 2021 8:27 a.m.

Supreme Court hanging up phone, back to in-person arguments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices are putting the “court” back in Supreme Court.