In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York blocked state restrictions on attendance limitations imposed on houses of worship. Circuit Judge Michael Park said “no public interest is served by maintaining an unconstitutional policy,” and said that the plaintffs did establish irreparable harm by showing that their free exercise of religion had been impaired.
In November, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against enforcing attendance caps. The majority said that such restrictions “strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.” (Reuters)
