John Roberts’ Latest Deciding Vote Spurs Wrath of Conservatives

July 27, 2020by Ros Krasny, Bloomberg News (TNS)
John Roberts’ Latest Deciding Vote Spurs Wrath of Conservatives
Chief Justice John Roberts arrives for the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The latest Supreme Court vote cast by Chief Justice John Roberts, rejecting an effort by a Nevada church to ease limits on attendance at its services during the coronavirus pandemic, was condemned by conservative lawmakers.

Roberts was the decider late Friday, joining the court’s liberals in a 5-4 vote against Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, a Reno-area church that said the state was discriminating by imposing stricter requirements on church services than on the state’s casinos.

“John Roberts has abandoned his oath,” Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, said in a tweet. “Maybe Nevada churches should set up craps tables? Then they could open?”

Cruz’s comment helped get “John Roberts” trending on Twitter.

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, also piled on, wondering “what happened to that judge?” and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a former Republican Congressman, called it “a sad day.”

President Donald Trump hasn’t commented directly on the ruling but retweeted a message about it from a journalist at a conservative news outlet.

Churches and other places of worship in Nevada currently have a 50-person limit on attendance at services. Other businesses, like restaurants and casinos, can operate at half of their fire-code capacity limits, which can be much higher than 50, with appropriate social distancing.

Other large gatherings, like movie theaters and concerts, are subject to similar or tighter restrictions than churches, Nevada officials have said. The rules are an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Roberts didn’t explain Friday’s vote, the court’s latest refusal to exempt religious services from COVID-related crowd-size limitations imposed by state officials. Justices in May refused to block restrictions in separate cases involving California and Illinois.

Limits “should not be subject to second-guessing by an unelected federal judiciary, which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people,” Roberts wrote in the California case.

———

©2020 Bloomberg News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A+
a-
  • church
  • Coronavirus
  • John Roberts
  • Supreme Court
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Supreme Court

    Five Takeaways From the Abortion Pill Case Before US Supreme Court

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone,... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, in a case that could have far-reaching implications for millions of American women and for scores of drugs regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. It's... Read More

    March 26, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Skeptical of Ban on Abortion Pill Mifepristone

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access to the abortion pill mifepristone despite objections from anti-abortion activists. The doctors and organizations who sued argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong in granting... Read More

    March 19, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Gives Texas Green Light to Deport Illegal Immigrants

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials to deport undocumented immigrants, despite objections from the Biden administration, which argued only the federal government has authority over immigration issues. In an unsigned order, the... Read More

    A Supreme Court Ruling in a Social Media Case Could Set Standards for Free Speech in the Digital Age

    WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Monday is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social... Read More

    March 4, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Justices Rule Trump Can Stay on Colorado Ballot

    WASHINGTON — In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump may remain on Colorado’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump may remain on Colorado’s primary ballot, rejecting a challenge to his eligibility based on a section of the 14th Amendment that bars those who have “engaged in insurrection” from holding... Read More

    About as Many Abortions Happening in US Monthly as Before Roe Was Overturned, Report Finds

    The number of abortions performed each month is about the same as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and... Read More

    The number of abortions performed each month is about the same as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion more than a year and a half ago, a new report finds. The latest edition of the #WeCount report conducted for... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top