Recent Supreme Court Rulings wk 3: Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo

Recent Supreme Court Rulings Wk 3: Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo
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Recent Supreme Court Rulings Wk 3: Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo
As many Americans were eager to celebrate Thanksgiving during the current COVID-19 pandemic last year on November 25, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court undermined the authority of the government to control the spread of the disease by a 5-to-4 vote (Wendy & Parmet, 2021). Through the decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, the Court was forced to temporarily enjoin the state’s limit on in-person religious worship that had been imposed by Andrew Cuomo, the New York Governor. This paper reviews the recent Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo case by presenting the summary, factors that led to the ruling outcome, the effects of the ruling on the law, precedent, and social policy, and how such cases could be overturned in the future.
Summary of the Case
In a bid to arrest the rising COVID-19 infections, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released an executive order to mark clusters of COVID-19 cases and restrict the surrounding area. The areas that were adjacent to the clusters were marked as “red” zones, and only ten worshippers were allowed to attend. Concentric areas surrounding the “red” zone were marked “orange” zone, and attendance was limited to 25 people. Besides, the areas around the “orange” zones were marked “yellow” zones and required that attendance not exceed 50 percent of the total capacity of the building. However, some secular businesses that were argued to be “essential” were allowed to run as usual but subject to different limitations. This differential treatment of religious and secular groups led to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and other Orthodox Jewish synagogues to sue and block state enforcement of Cuomo’s executive order. In their argument, they stated that the order was a violation of their right to worship as provided in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, n.d). The Supreme Court granted the application for injunctive relief and enjoined New York from enforcing the executive order to implement restrictions ...