On Wednesday night, as turkeys were brining everywhere, the Supreme Court ruled that the governor of New York could not single out houses of worship for capacity restrictions during the COVID crisis.

While New York argued the governor had already lifted the restrictions, the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Jewish groups argued the Governor had already demonstrated clear anti-religious bias and there was nothing to stop him from reinstituting his arbitrary restrictions. 

Five justices agreed.

One writer at CNN called the decision “scientifically illiterate” and claimed it would “cost lives,” but the issue at stake was best summed up by Justice Neil Gorsuch: “…while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques.”

Thankfully, the courts have been consistent that churches are essential, even though many governors (and Christians) have not.