Discern Report is the fastest growing America First news aggregator in the nation.
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that California officials cannot bar churches from holding indoor services amid the CCP virus pandemic.
Article by Zachary Stieber originally published at The Epoch Times.
The nation’s top court issued orders in two cases, siding with churches that had protested the state banning indoor services. But the court did not agree to strike down prohibitions on singing and chanting during indoor services, and will not block California from imposing 25 percent capacity restrictions in areas deemed Tier 1 on a scale of CCP virus transmission.
Justice Clarence Thomas, a George H.W. Bush appointee, and Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, would have also struck down the capacity restrictions and the prohibitions. Justice Samuel Alito, a George W. Bush appointee, would have agreed on those points but would have stayed for 30 days an injunction against the caps and prohibition to let the state demonstrate “that nothing short of those measures will reduce the community spread of COVID-19 at indoor religious gatherings.”
The case drew four different opinions from the nine-person court.
Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that “federal courts owe significant deference to politically accountable officials with the ‘background, competence, and expertise to assess public health.’”
“The state has concluded, for example, that singing indoors poses a heightened risk of transmitting COVID-19. I see no basis in this record for overriding that aspect of the state public health framework,” he added. “At the same time, the state’s present determination—that the maximum number of adherents who can safely worship in the most cavernous cathedral is zero—appears to reflect not expertise or discretion, but instead insufficient appreciation or consideration of the interests at stake.”
Gorsuch, with whom Thomas and Alito joined, said California “has openly imposed more stringent regulations on religious institutions than on many businesses” since the arrival of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
While California forbade any kind of indoor worship in most of the state, it allowed most retail operations to have 25 percent occupancy indoors and other businesses 50 percent or more occupancy, he added, writing: “When a state so obviously targets religion for differential treatment, our job becomes that much clearer.”
Justice Amy Barrett, joined by fellow Trump appointee Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote in a concurring opinion that she largely agreed with Gorsuch, but didn’t believe the court should block the prohibition on singing and chanting.
Massive Sale on beef. Freeze dried Ribeye, NY Strip, and Premium beef cubes. Promo code “jdr” at checkout for 15% off! WholeCows.com
“The applicants bore the burden of establishing their entitlement to relief from the singing ban. In my view, they did not carry that burden—at least not on this record. As the case comes to us, it remains unclear whether the singing ban applies across the board (and thus constitutes a neutral and generally applicable law) or else favors certain sectors (and thus triggers more searching review),” she wrote.
“Of course, if a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, California’s regulations cannot be viewed as neutral. But the record is uncertain, and the decisions below unfortunately shed little light on the issue.”
The three Democrat-appointed justice banded together in a dissenting opinion led by Obama appointee Justice Elena Kagan, who said justices on the court “are not scientists” and don’t “know much about public health policy.”
“Yet today the court displaces the judgments of experts about how to respond to a raging pandemic. The court orders California to weaken its restrictions on public gatherings by making a special exception for worship services. The majority does so even though the state’s policies treat worship just as favorably as secular activities (including political assemblies) that, according to medical evidence, pose the same risk of COVID transmission,” Kagan alleged.
“Under the court’s injunction, the state must instead treat worship services like secular activities that pose a much lesser danger. That mandate defies our caselaw, exceeds our judicial role, and risks worsening the pandemic.”
The ruling dealt with cases from Harvest Rock Church and South Bay United Pentecostal Church, two churches that sought relief from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s harsh restrictions imposed through a tiered system. Newsom’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Follow Zachary on Twitter: @zackstieber
COVID-19 lockdowns are taking down an independent news outlet
Nobody said running a media site would be easy. We could use some help keeping this site afloat.
Colleagues have called me the worst fundraiser ever. My skills are squarely rooted on the journalistic side of running a news outlet. Paying the bills has never been my forte, but we’ve survived. We have ads on the site that help, but since the site’s inception this has been a labor of love that otherwise doesn’t bring in the level of revenue necessary to justify it.
When I left a nice, corporate career in 2017, I did so knowing I wouldn’t make nearly as much money. But what we do at NOQ Report to deliver the truth and fight the progressive mainstream media narrative that has plagued this nation is too important for me to sacrifice it for the sake of wealth. We know we’ll never make a ton of money this way, and we’re okay with that.
Things have become harder with the coronavirus lockdowns. Both ad money and donations that have kept us afloat for a while have dropped dramatically. We thought we could weather the storm, but the resurgence of lockdowns that mainstream media and Democrats are pushing has put our prospects in jeopardy. In short, we are now in desperate need of financial assistance.
The best way NOQ Report readers can help is to donate. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal as well. We need approximately $17,300 to stay afloat through March when we hope the economy will be more open, but more would be wonderful and any amount that brings us closer to our goal is greatly appreciated.
The second way to help is to become a partner. We’ve strongly considered seeking angel investors in the past but because we were paying the bills, it didn’t seem necessary. Now, we’re struggling to pay the bills. This shouldn’t be the case as our traffic the last year has been going up dramatically. June, 2018, we had 11,678 visitors. A year later in June, 2019, we were up to 116,194. In June, 2020, we had 614,192. In November, 2020, we hit 1.2 million visitors.
We’re heading in the right direction and we believe we’re ready talk to patriotic investors who want to not only “get in on the action” but more importantly who want to help America hear the truth. Interested investors should contact me directly with the contact button above.
As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report going.
American Conservative Movement
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 11,000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]
Covid variant BA.5 is spreading. It appears milder but much more contagious and evades natural immunity. Best to boost your immune system with new Z-Dtox and Z-Stack nutraceuticals from our dear friend, the late Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.
