The Supreme Court issued a decision Dec. 3 siding with California churches that are seeking relief from the state’s heavy-handed COVID-19 restrictions on attendance at houses of worship. The decision is the second in two weeks slapping down overreaches by Democratic governors in populous states related to combating the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19. It also follows the arrival on the bench of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a constitutional conservative confirmed by the U.S. Senate before Election Day. The decision comes after the Supreme Court blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, from enforcing tough pandemic-related restrictions on attendance at houses of worship. That 5–4 unsigned opinion, in … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects California Gov. Newsom’s pandemic church restrictions

Attorneys for a Roman Catholic priest and Orthodox Jewish rabbi have filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court in hopes of curbing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s ongoing pandemic-related restrictions on houses of worship. In the case known as Robinson v. Murphy, the applicants filed an 82-page document with the nation’s highest court on Nov. 19 over what they claim are the Democratic governor’s discriminatory actions abusing religious freedom in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The applicants’ previous pleas for relief were denied by a U.S. district judge and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. They’re now asking the Supreme Court … Continue reading New Jersey religious leaders ask Supreme Court to end curbs on worship

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a gun-seizure case from Rhode Island that questions whether the “community caretaking” exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement applies to a personal residence. The high court granted the petition in the case known as Caniglia v. Strom on Nov. 20 without explaining why, as is its custom. It’s an appeal from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. At the same time, the court also agreed to hear a separate, unrelated case, United States of America v. Cooley, which concerns whether evidence can be used in court when a tribal police officer detains a non-Indian on a … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear Rhode Island warrantless gun-seizure case

Claiming New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is engaging in religious discrimination, Orthodox Jewish groups are asking the Supreme Court to freeze the Empire State’s tough restrictions on attendance at houses of worship during the ongoing pandemic. The legal challenge comes as New York and several states have reported a dramatic uptick in cases involving the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, and on the same day—Nov. 16—that Moderna’s vaccine was reported to be 94.5 percent effective in early testing. Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Nov. 9 that their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective. The surge has prompted several states to consider … Continue reading Orthodox Jews ask Supreme Court to override Cuomo’s religious lockdown

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a California law that gives labor organizers permission to trespass on private property and disrupt business operations 120 days a year to recruit new members. The high court granted the petitioners’ application Nov. 13 to review a ruling of a divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in a case known as Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid. As is its custom, the court didn’t explain why it granted the petition. The petitioners are Cedar Point Nursery, a strawberry farm in Dorris, and Fowler Packing Co. Inc. in Fresno, which produces grapes and … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear challenge to California law allowing aggressive labor recruitment

Two small businesses in central California are suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over his strict continuing lockdowns purportedly aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The 109-page lawsuit, Ghost Golf Inc. v. Newsom, filed in Fresno County Superior Court by Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a public interest law firm based in Sacramento, claims the governor lacks the power to unilaterally shutter businesses. “An emergency doesn’t give the governor authority to decide fundamental policy for the State; only the legislature can make law, and that remains true even in a time of crisis,” said PLF attorney Luke Wake, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing a … Continue reading California businesses sue Gov. Newsom over pandemic lockdowns