{"ID":63295,"name":"Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/cases\/2020\/20a87","view_count":0,"docket_number":"20A87","additional_docket_numbers":null,"manner_of_jurisdiction":"Writ of \u003Ci\u003Ecertiorari\u003C\/i\u003E","first_party":"Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York","second_party":"Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York","timeline":[{"event":"Decided","dates":[1606284000],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/54794"}],"lower_court":{"ID":7,"name":"United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/taxonomy\/term\/7"},"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003EIn an effort to curb rising infections of COVID-19, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order identifying clusters of COVID-19 cases and restricting the surrounding area. The area immediately around a cluster was classified as a \u201cred\u201d zone, where attendance at worship services is limited to 10 people. The concentric area around a red zone was an \u201corange\u201d zone, where attendance at worship services there is limited to 25 people. And the area around an orange zone was a \u201cyellow\u201d zone, where attendance was limited to 50% of the building\u2019s capacity. In contrast, certain secular businesses deemed \u201cessential\u201d were permitted to remain open in these zones, subject to different restrictions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and two Orthodox Jewish synagogues sued to block enforcement of the executive order as it affected them. The organizations claimed that the order violated their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment, particularly as secular businesses in the same areas remained open.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003EAre the applicants in this case, religious entities, entitled to a preliminary injunction on the basis of showing that their First Amendment claims are likely to prevail, that denying them relief would lead to irreparable injury, and that granting relief would not harm the public interest?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003EThe applicants in this case are entitled to a preliminary injunction because they have shown a likelihood of success on their First Amendment claims, denial of relief would lead to irreparable injury, and granting relief would not harm the public interest. In a per curiam (unsigned) opinion issued without argument, the Court held that the applicants met all of the requirements for a preliminary injunction.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst, the Court held that they had made a \u201cstrong\u201d showing that the challenged restrictions violated a \u201cminimum requirement of neutrality\u201d by specifically naming religious entities for restrictions while allowing secular businesses categorized as \u201cessential.\u201d Second, the Court noted that \u201cthe loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.\u201d Finally, the Court found that the government had not demonstrated that the requested relief would harm the public, as it did not claim that attendance at the applicants\u2019 services resulted in the spread of disease. Thus, the Court held that enforcement of the restrictions on the religious services must be enjoined.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJustice Neil Gorsuch authored a concurring opinion arguing that there is a pattern of states using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to treat religious exercises worse than secular activities, and this is but one example of that.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJustice Brett Kavanaugh authored a concurring opinion to highlight the importance of issuing the injunction at this time, rather than waiting, as Chief Justice John Roberts advocated in his separate dissenting opinion.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChief Justice Roberts authored a dissenting opinion arguing that there is no need to grant injunctive relief under the present circumstances because Governor Cuomo had already versed the designations of the affected areas, and the religious services were not subject to any fixed numerical restrictions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJustice Stephen Breyer authored a dissenting opinion, which Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined. Justice Breyer agreed with the Chief Justice in that there was no need to issue an injunction at this time, given that none of the applicants are presently subject to the fixed-capacity restrictions they challenged. Further, Justice Breyer argued that the Court\u2019s precedents recognize the importance of courts\u2019 granting elected officials broad discretion when they must act on the basis of uncertain and rapidly changing medical and scientific information, as in this case.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","advocates":null,"oral_argument_audio":null,"citation":{"volume":null,"page":null,"year":null,"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_citation\/case_citation\/27779"},"decisions":[{"description":"The application for injunctive relief is granted; New York is enjoined from enforcing fixed numerical restrictions on occupancy against the applicants.","votes":[{"member":{"ID":62836,"name":"Neil Gorsuch","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/neil_gorsuch","view_count":0,"last_name":"Gorsuch","roles":[{"id":3506,"type":"scotus_justice","date_start":1491541200,"date_end":0,"appointing_president":"Donald J. 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