On Friday, April 9, the U.S. Federal Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the state of California is unconstitutional, overturning Governor Gavin Newsom’s order to impose restrictions on house parties holding religious faith-based prayers on the basis of the outbreak of the Chinese Communist virus (Neocoronavirus).
The high court ruling stated that before restricting religious gatherings, the state of California must prove that they pose a greater danger than ordinary social activities such as shopping and going to the movies. Otherwise, the same precautions that apply to other activities also apply to religious activities.
The ruling found that California treats some secular activities with more lenient restrictions than religious activities at home, such as allowing family gatherings of three or more people at hair salons, retail stores, personal care services, private boxes at movie theaters, sporting events and concerts, and indoor dining at restaurants.
High Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who was also on the side of the California government’s restrictions, did not sign a statement from three other justices who also supported them, FoxNews.com reported. The other three justices who supported the California restrictions were Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer.
Fox News reported that it was a victory for the religious right. But the New York Times, a leftist media outlet, was dismayed by the high court’s decision.
The New York Times said the lawsuit was filed by Santa Clara County residents who held religious gatherings in their homes and claimed the restrictions violated their constitutional rights.
Earlier, a federal judge ruled to dismiss the lawsuit, and the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco upheld it, but it was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court.
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