Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ripped into John Roberts for siding with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court in a key religious liberty case.
Ted said Roberts had “abandoned his oath.” “What happened to that judge?” asked Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
“Freedom of religion is our first freedom. Yet SCOTUS has ruled that casinos can host hundreds of gamblers, while churches cannot welcome their full congregations. Justice Roberts once again got it wrong, shamefully closing church doors to their flocks,” Cotton added in a statement.
From The Hill: The decision strikes down a suit from Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, which argued that it was being treated unfairly compared with other businesses in the state. While places of worship in Nevada have a hard 50-person limit amid the coronavirus pandemic, businesses such as casinos and restaurants can operate at half of their fire-code capacities. This discrepancy was a violation of the First Amendment, the church asserted in the suit.
Defending its imposed restrictions, Nevada stated that its regulations didn’t target places of worship unfairly, saying that other large gatherings — such as concerts and movie showings — were treated “the same as or worse than houses of worship.”
The complaint made its way to the highest court in the land after being rejected by a district court and a circuit court.
Three of the conservative justices wrote dissenting opinions on the emergency order.
John Roberts has abandoned his oath.
But, on the upside, maybe Nevada churches should set up craps tables? Then they could open? https://t.co/6pWoOwg9ts
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 25, 2020
Freedom of religion is our first freedom. Yet SCOTUS has ruled that casinos can host hundreds of gamblers, while churches cannot welcome their full congregations. Justice Roberts once again got it wrong, shamefully closing church doors to their flocks. https://t.co/rFkCx0L8Zu
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 25, 2020
