Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard broke with many in her party when she voiced support Monday for the Supreme Court decision that reined in Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus restrictions.
Gabbard explained that the court’s 5-4 ruling, which barred Cuomo from imposing specific capacity limits on churches and synagogues, was a move in favor of religious liberty. (RELATED: ‘Since You’re Giving Pardons To People’: Tulsi Gabbard Has A Shortlist Of Names For Trump)
“I strongly support this Supreme Court ruling defending our First Amendment/freedom of religion. While COVID may temporarily require certain public health restrictions, houses of worship MUST be treated same as secular institutions—not more harshly/strictly,” Gabbard tweeted.
I strongly support this Supreme Court ruling defending our First Amendment/freedom of religion. While COVID may temporarily require certain public health restrictions, houses of worship MUST be treated same as secular institutions—not more harshly/strictly.https://t.co/PD2ztczYrD
— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) November 30, 2020
Following the ruling, Cuomo called the court’s decision “irrelevant” because the churches and synagogues named in the lawsuit were no longer in zones subject to the additional restrictions. (RELATED: Supreme Court Orders Gov Cuomo To End COVID-19 Restrictions That Discriminate Against Churches, Synagogues)
Cuomo calls Supreme Court church ruling ‘irrelevant’ despite decision https://t.co/sV0qf4ItWd pic.twitter.com/ELdLJqAEj4
— New York Post (@nypost) November 26, 2020
Cuomo went on to say that the court’s decision only served as proof that the court had a conservative bias.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York accused the U.S. Supreme Court of political partisanship after it rejected his coronavirus restrictions on religious services. He suggested the 5-to-4 decision was a reflection of the court’s new conservative majority. https://t.co/CwuJfvuEsu
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 26, 2020
Critics of the decision blamed the newly-seated Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the point that #AmyCovidBarrett trended on Twitter the day after the decision.
Honestly thought it would take longer for Amy Coney Barrett’s elevation to put my family and community in mortal danger https://t.co/DmieNBFsQ6
— Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn) November 26, 2020
The new illegitimate 5-4 SCOTUS majority overturning a policy to put more lives in danger. https://t.co/i8zzrqB6Vr
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) November 26, 2020
Religious institutions should now pay taxes since separation of church & state no longer exists.#SCOTUS #AmyCovidBarrett
— Jen Perelman (@JENFL23) November 26, 2020
My friend has 8 people in her family (and counting) with Covid and her grandmother probably won’t make it. How did they get it? Maskless church service. #AmyCovidBarrett https://t.co/ptDgh2yKBk
— Carrie Coon (@carriecoon) November 26, 2020
Media: @eliehonig to @AlisynCamerota: “This is the first time a court, certainly #SCOTUS, has come in and struck down regulations aiming to limit the spread of #COVID19 by local authorities. The changing composition of the court has immediately yielded different results.” pic.twitter.com/yD88YwpGcG
— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) November 26, 2020