The Supreme Court of the United States of America – the land of the free and the home of the brave -- has just ruled against the freedom of assembly guaranteed to Christians.
Under the guise of a bogus health concern – the spreading of coronavirus – the Supreme Court has given the state of California the right to not only interfere with churches, but to also prosecute Christians who assemble freely rather than under any state guidelines.
And it was the Chief Justice – the man who is supposed to uphold the Constitution more than anyone else – along with all the liberal justices, who decided that the state can now control how Christians may assemble for worship. A sad day for America and for the world. Chief Justice Roberts used a very dubious reason for his decision: “Roberts noted in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling that the restrictions in place are applied to non-religious gatherings and therefore don’t pose a threat to religious liberties.”
How does that even make any sense? Non-religious gathering are not guaranteed the same freedom of assembly under the Constitution, as noted below: “The Free Exercise Clause not only protects religious belief and expression; it also seems to allow for violation of laws, as long as that violation is made for religious reasons”.
Quoting from the Cornell law web site:
‘The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The Free Exercise Clause reserves the right of American citizens to accept any religious belief and engage in religious rituals. Free-exercise clauses of state constitutions which protected religious “[o]pinion, expression of opinion, and practice were all expressly protected” by the Free Exercise Clause.[1] The Clause protects not just religious beliefs but actions made on behalf of those beliefs. More importantly, the wording of state constitutions suggest that “free exercise envisions religiously compelled exemptions from at least some generally applicable laws.”[2] The Free Exercise Clause not only protects religious belief and expression; it also seems to allow for violation of laws, as long as that violation is made for religious reasons. In the terms of economic theory, the Free Exercise Clause promotes a free religious market by precluding taxation of religious activities by minority sects.[3]
Discrimination
In Edmonson, the Supreme Court wrote that "discrimination, though invidious in all contexts, violates the Constitution only when it may be attributed to state action."...’
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
Now that we know that social distancing and masks do not guarantee freedom from infection, and that there was no increase in outbreaks after the lockdowns ended, the excuse of protecting citizens from infection is bogus. Nevertheless the Supreme Court has now given states the right to control churches and apply tyrannical rules and regulations with impunity. Christians will not be able to take the matter to the Supreme Court and fight the tyranny of the State.
Here is the news report:
Chief Justice Roberts Sides with Liberals – Refuses California Church Right to Assemble During Pandemic
Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal bloc of the Supreme Court in deciding Governor Newsom has the right to deny churchgoers the right to assemble during this pandemic. Once again, Roberts’ logic is muddled as he this time sided with the far left against the First Amendment of the United States.
The Hill reported: The Supreme Court issued a rare late-night ruling on Friday against a California church challenging their state’s stay-at-home order. In a 5-4 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts broke from other conservative justices to rule in favor of the state.
The case was brought by the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, Calif., which said Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) stay-at-home order ignored religious freedoms.
Roberts noted in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling that the restrictions in place are applied to non-religious gatherings and therefore don’t pose a threat to religious liberties.
“Although California’s guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Roberts wrote.
“…Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time,” he wrote.
Chief Justice Roberts Sides with Liberals - Refuses California Church Right to Assemble During Pandemic
Governor Newsom of California has already demonstrated his extreme Leftist bias over and over again, and destroyed the state of Californa. Now the Supreme Court has made Left wing ideology superior to the Constitution, since liberal judges – by definition – are Leftists.
Under the guise of a bogus health concern – the spreading of coronavirus – the Supreme Court has given the state of California the right to not only interfere with churches, but to also prosecute Christians who assemble freely rather than under any state guidelines.
And it was the Chief Justice – the man who is supposed to uphold the Constitution more than anyone else – along with all the liberal justices, who decided that the state can now control how Christians may assemble for worship. A sad day for America and for the world. Chief Justice Roberts used a very dubious reason for his decision: “Roberts noted in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling that the restrictions in place are applied to non-religious gatherings and therefore don’t pose a threat to religious liberties.”
How does that even make any sense? Non-religious gathering are not guaranteed the same freedom of assembly under the Constitution, as noted below: “The Free Exercise Clause not only protects religious belief and expression; it also seems to allow for violation of laws, as long as that violation is made for religious reasons”.
Quoting from the Cornell law web site:
‘The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The Free Exercise Clause reserves the right of American citizens to accept any religious belief and engage in religious rituals. Free-exercise clauses of state constitutions which protected religious “[o]pinion, expression of opinion, and practice were all expressly protected” by the Free Exercise Clause.[1] The Clause protects not just religious beliefs but actions made on behalf of those beliefs. More importantly, the wording of state constitutions suggest that “free exercise envisions religiously compelled exemptions from at least some generally applicable laws.”[2] The Free Exercise Clause not only protects religious belief and expression; it also seems to allow for violation of laws, as long as that violation is made for religious reasons. In the terms of economic theory, the Free Exercise Clause promotes a free religious market by precluding taxation of religious activities by minority sects.[3]
Discrimination
In Edmonson, the Supreme Court wrote that "discrimination, though invidious in all contexts, violates the Constitution only when it may be attributed to state action."...’
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment
Now that we know that social distancing and masks do not guarantee freedom from infection, and that there was no increase in outbreaks after the lockdowns ended, the excuse of protecting citizens from infection is bogus. Nevertheless the Supreme Court has now given states the right to control churches and apply tyrannical rules and regulations with impunity. Christians will not be able to take the matter to the Supreme Court and fight the tyranny of the State.
Here is the news report:
Chief Justice Roberts Sides with Liberals – Refuses California Church Right to Assemble During Pandemic
Chief Justice Roberts joined the liberal bloc of the Supreme Court in deciding Governor Newsom has the right to deny churchgoers the right to assemble during this pandemic. Once again, Roberts’ logic is muddled as he this time sided with the far left against the First Amendment of the United States.
The Hill reported: The Supreme Court issued a rare late-night ruling on Friday against a California church challenging their state’s stay-at-home order. In a 5-4 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts broke from other conservative justices to rule in favor of the state.
The case was brought by the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, Calif., which said Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) stay-at-home order ignored religious freedoms.
Roberts noted in an opinion concurring in the unsigned ruling that the restrictions in place are applied to non-religious gatherings and therefore don’t pose a threat to religious liberties.
“Although California’s guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment,” Roberts wrote.
“…Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time,” he wrote.
Chief Justice Roberts Sides with Liberals - Refuses California Church Right to Assemble During Pandemic
Governor Newsom of California has already demonstrated his extreme Leftist bias over and over again, and destroyed the state of Californa. Now the Supreme Court has made Left wing ideology superior to the Constitution, since liberal judges – by definition – are Leftists.
