In a five-four split, the top US court said the measures violated the First Amendment's protection of the free exercise of religion. The court had previously swung the opposite way, upholding similar restrictions on services in California and Nevada. The ruling continued: "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." But conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch argued that Cuomo had favored secular activities over religious ones. It is the latest in long-simmering tensions between officials and some religious communities over social-distancing measures, with protests erupting in Brooklyn last month.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 26, 2020 07:41 UTC