Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/20a87_4g15.pdf
Page Number: 16.0

2 

ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN v. CUOMO 

KAVANAUGH, J., concurring 

orange zones, most houses of worship are limited to 25 peo-
ple.  Those strict and inflexible numerical caps apply even
to large churches and synagogues that ordinarily can hold
hundreds  of  people  and  that,  with  social  distancing  and 
mask requirements, could still easily hold far more than 10 
or 25 people. 

Moreover, New York’s restrictions on houses of worship 
not only are severe, but also are discriminatory.  In red and 
orange zones, houses of worship must adhere to numerical 
caps of 10 and 25 people, respectively, but those caps do not 
apply to some secular buildings in the same neighborhoods.
In a red zone, for example, a church or synagogue must ad-
here to a 10-person attendance cap, while a grocery store,
pet store, or big-box store down the street does not face the 
same  restriction.  In  an  orange  zone,  the  discrimination
against  religion  is  even  starker:  Essential  businesses  and 
many non-essential businesses are subject to no attendance 
caps at all.

The State’s discrimination against religion raises a seri-
ous First Amendment issue and triggers heightened scru-
tiny, requiring the State to provide a sufficient justification 
for the discrimination.  See Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, 
Inc. v. Hialeah, 508 U. S. 520, 537–538 (1993); Employment 
Div., Dept. of Human Resources of Ore. v. Smith, 494 U. S. 
872, 884 (1990).  But New York has not sufficiently justified 
treating houses of worship more severely than secular busi-
nesses. 

The State argues that it has not impermissibly discrimi-
nated  against  religion  because  some  secular  businesses 
such  as  movie  theaters  must  remain  closed  and  are  thus 
treated less favorably than houses of worship.  But under 
this  Court’s  precedents,  it  does  not  suffice  for  a  State  to
point out that, as compared to houses of worship, some sec-
ular businesses are subject to similarly severe or even more
severe  restrictions.  See  Lukumi,  508  U. S.,  at  537–538; 
Smith, 494 U. S., at 884; see also Calvary, 591 U. S., at ___