Laboring under dark clouds, a shaft of light is welcome – and we just got one. The US Supreme Court on November 25th ruled 5-4: Religious liberty supersedes government’s power to curtail it, even in a pandemic. Period. See, e.g., https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2020/11/25/supreme-court-sides-with-religious-groups-against-andrew-cuomo-5-4-barrett/; https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/26/supreme-court-religion-covid-barrett-440808.
Specifically, the High Court granted “emergency relief” to New York’s Roman Catholic churches and Jewish congregations, against strict New York limits on attendance. Wrote the Court: “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,” and “even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten.” See, e.g., https://lawandcrime.com/supreme-court/justice-barrett-casts-deciding-vote-against-gov-cuomos-restrictions-on-churches-and-synagogues/.
The unsigned decision was joined by Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. The decision effectively takes the Court in a new direction, reversing indifference shown earlier in 2020. Make no mistake, Barrett turned the dial. Concurrences and dissents clashed boldly.
Justice Gorsuch pulled no punches. He wrote: “As we round out 2020 and face the prospect of entering a second calendar year living in the pandemic’s shadow, that rationale has expired according to its own terms … Even if the Constitution has taken a holiday during this pandemic, it cannot become a sabbatical.”
He continued: “Courts must resume applying the Free Exercise Clause,” and hit Justice Roberts hard. Gorsuch accused him of a “serious rewriting of history,” adding: “We may not shelter in place when the Constitution is under attack. Things never go well when we do.”
Finally, Gorsuch laid it out, no sugarcoating. “Government is not free to disregard the First Amendment in times of crisis.” “The Governor has chosen to impose no capacity restrictions on certain businesses he considers ‘essential’ …” including “hardware stores, acupuncturists, and liquor stores,” and “bicycle repair shops, certain signage companies, accountants, lawyers, and insurance agents are all essential too.”
Missing are Houses of Worship. “So, at least according to the Governor, it may be unsafe to go to church, but it is always fine to pick up another bottle of wine, shop for a new bike, or spend the afternoon exploring your distal points and meridians. Who knew public health would so perfectly align with secular convenience?”
“The only explanation for treating religious places differently seems to be a judgment that what happens there just isn’t as ‘essential’ as what happens in secular spaces. That,” concluded Gorsuch, “is exactly the kind of discrimination the First Amendment forbids.”
The chasm between judicially conservative majority and activist, secularist minority is deep.
While Roberts offered a milk toast dissent, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan were blunt. Sotomayor snapped, ready to discriminate against religion. “Unlike religious services … bike repair shops and liquor stores generally do not feature customers gathering inside to sing and speak together for an hour or more at a time,” she wrote.
She added: “Justices of this Court play a deadly game in second guessing the expert judgment of health officials about the environments in which a contagious virus, now infecting a million Americans each week, spreads most easily.” In short, the minority gives religion a boot, saying more wish to attend services than fix bicycles or buy bottled booze. See, https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/26/supreme-court-religion-covid-barrett-440808.
Implications are immediate, significant, and foreshadow. This holding affirms traditional understandings of the Constitution. Government – whether State or Federal – cannot cancel, encroach upon, upend, eviscerate, or emasculate, either by word or deed, the Bill of Rights.
While leading Democrats – including Governor Cuomo – street activists, political liberals, ideological leftists, avowed socialists, incremental anti-religious secularists, and litigious atheists are all unhappy, the Court was clear. The ruling holds for religious liberty, not against it.
What exact implications may attach to this decision? At least, four.
First, the decision immediately stops a host of Democrat governors – and the potential Biden Administration – from more “pandemic-justified” attacks on religion. Governors, who often appear tone deaf, indifferent, and even hostile to religion – are made quiet. The ruling protects churches, synagogues, mosques, and all religious venues. That is an important, overdue.
Second, this ruling will hearten at least 215 million Americans who value faith, 65 percent of America that believes in God. Government cannot strip them of rights to assemble, speak, sing, or worship in His name. Faith does not take a backseat to government. Fitting at Thanksgiving.
Third, this ruling will – the way swatting a hornet’s nest will – bring out the stingers. It already has. New York’s Governor Cuomo – ironically, himself a lawyer – dismissed the Supreme Court ruling as “irrelevant.” To him, it may be – to America it is not. See, e.g.,
Cuomo’s reaction tells us how Democrats in the future. They will be dismissive, disparaging, and disrespectful to the Supreme Court majority, aiming to undermine the Court’s role in society, as they undermined a presidency.
Damage that can be done to a republic by turning against institutions themselves, when unhappy with decisions made, is serious. Modern Democrats seem content to damage institutions, on the way to fast-tracking an agenda half the nation considers profoundly offensive – centralizing government, impinging on core liberties.
Fourth, on the encouraging side, this ruling foretells the future. Whether on issues tied to constitutional rights – enshrined in our First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Fourteenth or any other Amendment, this majority WILL respect words and their meaning, not drift off into rewriting the Constitution to fit their political whims.
Bottom line: History advances by inches, with inevitable backsteps that challenge, frustrate, and dishearten those who believe in core values. Decisions like this one are instantly important, and cheeringly predictive. This is big. Where is leads is good. As we slog under dark clouds, take heart – there are shafts of light. Where they shine, if we follow, good things may come.
People, this is ONLY “temporarily” big! … If the Progressively Communist Democrats ARE ALLOWED to steal this Presidential Election then Jackass Joe Biden WILL increase the number of Supreme Court Justices to include two of the worst possible additional Justices in Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton!!! … So no matter what, We the People MUST NEVER ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN PERIOD!!! … We ALL KNOW that President Trump WON re-election and CANNOT ALLOW the Progressively Communist Democrats to steal the Presidency! … So Be Prepared to FIGHT OR WE WILL ALL BECOME SLAVES TO COMMUNISM!!!
The right decision,,,and just in time!
What an incredible disappointment John Roberts has become.
When you make a law against exercising one’s faith, you are making a law against God, and, more than likely and inevitably, because of the prayers of the saints, you will come out on the losing end.
Thank you for a great article. So refreshing to read some positive amid all the negative. God Bless you Mr. Charles and all at AMAC.
Thank goodness for God leading the way. We will lose everything if the Democrats have their way!! Lord, please help is all!!
Can it stand under Biden Admin, since President will announce 2024 run during Biden Inagural.
We Will NOT Comply is our Mantra, IF Dems can we can
NO more playing nice for Dems for next 4 years
NO games
ID RINOs & dump
Or more Religious supression from Biden Virus admin
A win for the Constitutional right of all Americans.
Does this decision also apply to gruesome newscum of kommiefornia?
It should have 9:0 decision. It figures Judge Roberts would side with the other liberals.
Thank God for the sane justices on the Supreme Court!
The main reason the socialist/dems want to shut down religion is they FEAR thier chinajoe pandemic strategy will be exposed if millions of people attend services and nothing happens thier use of this deliberately released “threat” to create a situation they could use as an “excuse” to disrupt the voting process and create a mail-in cheating sceme will be shown for what it has always been a sham, the vast majority of deaths ascribed to china flu actually died from pre-existing conditions,
doctors and hospitals were paid extra if the deaths were blamed on covid, greed works well for traitors.
We in this family agree with the decision of SCOTUS. All of our Freedoms are under attack by those who would take them away or dilute them. No entity should ever be allowed to Usurp our God given rights, or our Constitution. Thank you the Conservatives of the Supreme court.
Cuomo dismissed the Supreme Court ruling as “irrelevant.” It looks as though ALL Democrat/Communist consider ALL rules and laws as irrelevant, Except for Trump supporters and Republicans, then laws MUST be enforced. Are we going to allow this? I am almost 80 and in my mind it is time to fight for justice for ALL.
Amen!
Great news, the very thing Bill Donohue, of “Catalyst”, works tirelessly to advocate.
One need not be a strict observer of faith to know this is an important decision.
HOORAY FOR SCOTUS! ADHERENCE TO THE CONSTITUTION FOR A BREAK FROM THE PREVIOUS DECISIONS. OF COURSE GOVERNOR CUOMO DISMISSED THE DECISION. HIS REASON? THE RESTRICTION ON THE NUMBER ALLOWED AT A GATHERING IN THAT ZONE HAD EXPIRED THE PREVIOUS WEEK BECAUSE THE COVID RATE HAD DROPPED. WHAT A BLOATED POLITICAL TOAD! IT IS ALL ABOUT HIM! AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE,I BELIEVE THAT THE WHOLE COVID PROCESS IS THE ELITES’ STRESS TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH CRAP THE SHEEPLE WILL TAKE. GO SCOTUS. JUSTICE ROBERTS HAS TO STOP FIGURING WHICH WAY THE WIND IS BLOWING AND ACTUALLY DO HIS JOB. MAGA/A-KAF-KAG TRUMP-PENCE 2020
I wonder how many of us are truly ready for a “civil” war that may break out when enough Patriots have finally had enough?
This is a good decision, and upholds the First Amendment freedom of religion. A persons faith is critically important for the wellbeing of that person’s mental and physical health. That is a proven fact that Atheists and Luciferians do not want to acknowlege.
From prayer at the hospitial bed, to worship services the free exorcise of religion is as essential as buying food at the grocery. and moreso than happy hour at the local watering hole.
As a Christian what I’m about to say may sound harsh and very cruel. Christian (THE CHURCH) have allowed the secular world to decide what is right and wrong in our government. Our Constitution doesn’t separate the church from the state but the state from the church. That means the church (YOU AND I) are responsible for what goes on in our government. What we have done as Christians is turned our backs on God in how we govern ourselves and allowed the secular world to control us. We have two choices: Close our eyes and let thing go on as is or we can go into our War Room (PRAYER CLOSET) and go to war against the demonic world behind what’s going on in America and around the World. Pray for God to remove those who are trying to destroy America, her people and especially the church. Our Supreme Court has ruled in our favor, please go to war for our freedom. The Bible says we are the CHURCH, are you going to stand by and let satan win?
This is huge! this is the beginning of the battle to protect us from the tyranny of socialists in the Democratic party.
The Supreme Court should get involved with the fraud election and the liberal states that created this deceit and outright ballot inventing with dead people/cats/dogs/out of state residents/ and one person voting multiple times// Trump won and Biden and Harris are as crooked as the election results// To bad this is allowed to happen in the USA, but it was handled like a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY/ It will never be right again and paybacks are needed and KARMA will strike back stronger than the liberals would think possible//Go Trumpster/
Roberts, Kagan and Sotomayor: three bad eggs. All should be impeached. They will never vote for what is right and proper.
Praise God, He is still in control !!
For anyone who watched 60 Minutes last night we saw Chris Krebs claim the election was honest! We have seen in state after state the various ways the election was stolen. Signed Affidavits from many voters and poll workers mean nothing! A survey of DemonCrat voters taken after the election showed that 1/3 of them would not have voted for Biden had they known about the China Scandal. This is what happens when The Left censors honest news. I personally know a lot of DemonCrats that are basically nice and honest people but have been brainwashed by years of getting the wrong information from the wrong sources! They actually believe they are helping America and Conservatives are mean, wealthy and racist.
The SCOTUS victory is great but after Inauguration Day anything can happen!Throughout history every communist country persecuted religion because they want The Deep State to become a replacement for God! During the election we observed people being threatened with arrest for going to church services but Anarchists who burn churches are Peaceful Protesters! The Radical Left claims that Socialism works in Scandinavian countries but I watched a Documentary about Sweden where church services are censored and if a Pastor speaks out against the government, Radical Islam or the LGBTQ Lifestyle they can be imprisoned! No Free Speech there! Coincidentally they have a bigger percentage of their citizens on Welfare than America does! If you cannot honestly earn a vote you can always buy it! Another Documentary showed Germany persecuting parents for Home Schooling their children! By keeping children in public schools they can brainwash them!
This is something for all Conservatives to think about. Throughout history people either fled their country or stayed and fought for what they believed in. I have known a lot of Americans who retired and moved to other countries because they saw long ago what was happening. As The New World Order idea is pushed there will be nowhere to go! We must continue to pray for America without ceasing!
Praise God!!
Great news! There’s no reason for any church to be closed! If thousands can riot or celebrate election results, folks can worship God! Worship of God is the most essential thing anyone can do during this pandemic! He’s the only one with the power to protect us and strengthen us thru all this!
I’m beginning to believe that Justice Roberts either has a huge ego, a score to settle, or that he’s been bought off, or threatened by the liberal communist that are trying to take control. He doesn’t seem to be the same person that was appointed to the Supreme Court.
John Roberts has been to the island of evil with Epstein. No wonder he is beholden to the left. They have the “goods” on him. Cuomo seems to hate everything about freedom, and religion is no exception. These leftist Democrats want power, and the way they demonstrate that in the near term is lockdown of everything. Those rulings have no basis in law, just his power trip. These people have been identified, and when the next revolution begins, they will be the first to be held accountable.
There is little room for optimism when a television network “****” God in their closed captions.
THE WAR IS ON WITH ALL DEMS, RINOES, MY FLAKE OF A SENATOR CASSIDY IN LOUISIANA HAD BETTER LEARN HOW TO ABORT DEMS OR HE WILL FIND OUT JUST HOW A DOCTOR THAT HE IS BECOMES THE ABORTED
THE DEMS HAVE SET THE RULES OF THIS WAR WE TAKE NO PRISONES. TIME TO TEACH FEARMONGER WHAT FEAR IS
FIGHT LIKE VC IN VIET NAM GOAST WAR FAIR
Pray, people, pray with thanksgiving that the true awesome God will fight this battle for our President, our nation, and us. Only with His help can this situation turn into a victory!
THANK YOU JESUS FOR THIS DECISION…THE FORCES OF SATAN HAVE BEEN DEFEATED ONCE MORE!!!
Cuamo is irrelevant. I’m going to guess that he got his position in government the same way Tom Wolf did. Dominion voting system.
Thank God in heaven, for allowing President Trump to add conservative justices to the SCOTUS!! As long as the democrats don’t start padding the court, the constitution will prevail because of the constitutional conservatives that our wonderful President appointed!! Help us Lord, people are weak, but you are strong. Lord bring out the truth about this election!! Help our President Trump!!
Finally, a true Ray of Sunshine among all the Doom, Gloom, Havoc and Damage caused by the Demsheviks, their toadies, sycophants, all other libtards, and (of course) the Lamestream Media. Let’s just hope this ruling of the Supreme Court is only the beginning of turning our Ship of State around and back to the core values that define America. Bravo, Supreme Court!
“While Roberts offered a milk toast dissent, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan were blunt. Sotomayor snapped, ready to discriminate against religion. “Unlike religious services … bike repair shops and liquor stores generally do not feature customers gathering inside to sing and speak together for an hour or more at a time,” she wrote.”
These morons are Supreme Court Justices? They obviously have not read the Constitution of the United States’ First Amendment:
“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.”
It says nothing about banning religious services under some governmental mandate—-pandemic or no pandemic!
I can’t believe that we have Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan seated on the SCOTUS bench, and I am disappointed in Roberts.
Taking this right away from the American people is not the end game. If they get away with this there will be more to come. There are a lot of people in this country who do not believe in religion and will go to the wall against it. What they don’t realize is that it is only the beginning and their ideals may be next. We need to protect all of our rights. It is a choice to believe in organized religion. Taking that choice away hurts everyone.
Praise GOD! The right decision. I totally agree John Roberts is a total disappointment. He will have to answer to a higher authority. JESUS CHRIST.
Emperor
GovernorCuomo is a clear example of a reprobate.HOORAY!! For the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision regarding religion.
When reading about the New York Governor and his dismissive attitude toward the Supreme Court decision it sure should make everyone to band together and consider using the Second Amendment for its intended purpose…….to protect ourselves and our nation from tyrannical governance. One would think that Cuomo would be satisfied with his direct responsibility for the death of THOUSANDS of the elderly when he, without the true authority to do so, ordered Corona Virus infected people to be placed into nursing homes in his state. The guy truly is a mass murderer and if the Justice Department won’t see to his punishment perhaps it’s time for the people to ban together and issue the punishment the murderer deserves. These tyrants must be stopped, they are cheating their way into power so since our votes mean nothing it can be guaranteed that our ammo does.
Roberts another dishonest , dishonorable individual.
President Trump delivered as promised with Consercative Justices – Thank God!
How about this to thimk about…
2016 hillary was supposed to start up the NWO. Covid virus was planned, it is what the dems needed. To control us. Because Americans will never agree to socialism, comminism, or the New World Order. Only those who do not worship God Almighty. Only our children whom we robbed them of learning about God. Because we had to work to put food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads to protect them. We were led like sheep. Exaxtly what they wanted. These donkeys dont realize who they are worshiping. Satan is very cunning…hes got them and they dont know it.
But GOD is still in control. He calls for the believers to pray fervently like the Warriors that we are. Prayer is POWERFUL, it can change any situation. And we are in a bind because satan is interferring and WE WILL NOT ALLOW IT..
Get on your knees…and talk to the Father
BIDEN IS NOW BABY CHOPPER UP IN CHIEF
Thank you MR PRESIDENT!!!
Maybe my comment was too long, it disappeared. Short and sweet: I blame the dems for their power at any costs and I blame the reps for taking their eye off the ball. I never thought we would come to this. I am 73 and cannot believe the change. Hanging by a thread, I hope we have more than that!
Can I get this in printable form, please???????????
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!