Supreme Court Says New York Can’t Limit Attendance In Houses of Worship Due To COVID

Religious leaders attend a candlelight vigil a procession in tribute to all of the lives affected by the novel coronavirus outside The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on October 19, 2020, in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images

Updated at 2:21 a.m. ET

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily barred New York from enforcing strict attendance limits on places of worship in areas designated coronavirus hot spots, in a decision released late Wednesday.

The court ruled that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order violated the First Amendment’s “free exercise” clause, and actively discriminated against religious institutions.