The U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's restriction on places of worship gave the state's churches and religious leaders something very significant to be thankful for Thursday.
Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan tweeted Thanksgiving morning:
"While we have been and will continue to adhere to all safety protocols to protect our communities, it is also important to protect that fundamental Constitutional right, religious liberty.''
Cardinal Dolan added in a subsequent tweet:
"I'd like to congratulate @BpDiMarzio and the @BrooklynDiocese on their victory for religious freedom in the U. S. Supreme Court. Our churches are essential."
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 in a pair of cases to ban Gov. Cuomo from enforcing his Oct. 6 "Cluster Initiative" against houses of worship that sued to challenge the restrictions. The initiative was aimed at stemming the outbreak in areas of Brooklyn and Queens that were experiencing a surge in cases.
"Even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten," the majority wrote in an opinion issued just before midnight Wednesday. "The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious liberty."
The majority added the rules "single out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment" by imposing tighter restrictions on them than on, for example, acupuncture facilities and garages.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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