Topline The Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 margin late Friday that California’s coronavirus-related restrictions on gathering in private homes violated constitutional rights on the free exercise of religion, the latest ruling from the high court that prohibits authorities from enforcing limits on religious services. "We appear to have a state playing favorites during a pandemic," wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in one … [+] Key Facts Five conservative justices agreed that California’s restrictions banning any type of gathering in private homes of more than three households violated the Constitution by treating "comparable secular activity more favorably than at-home religious exercise." The justices noted that a lower court, the Ninth Circuit, "did not conclude" that permitted secular activities such as indoor dining and movie theaters "pose a lesser risk of transmission " than religious exercises in a private residence. The challenge was brought by a pair of Santa Clara County pastors who said the state’s restrictions prevented them from meeting for weekly Bible study and prayer sessions. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal judges—Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor—in dissenting. In a dissent that was joined by Breyer and Sotomayor, Kagan wrote: "California need not, […]
