ALBANY, N.Y. — A federal judge has refused to block New York's plan to temporarily limit the size of religious gatherings in COVID-19 hot spots.
U.S. District Judge Judge Kiyo Matsumoto issued the ruling Friday after an emergency hearing in a lawsuit brought by rabbis and synagogues who said the restrictions were unconstitutional.
They had sought to have enforcement delayed until at least after Jewish holy days this weekend. The rules limit indoor prayer services in certain areas to no more than 10 people.
The judge said the state had an interest in protecting public safety.
In the view of many Orthodox Jews in New York whose areas were hit hard and early by the pandemic, city and state officials stoked tension with their handling of new restrictions.
One Orthodox group, Agudath Israel, filed a federal court challenge saying the constraints make it impossible for Orthodox Jews to meet their religious obligations.
Brooklyn’s Roman Catholic diocese also filed suit Thursday, alleging the restrictions would force more than two dozen churches to close.
A federal judge in Brooklyn refused to block Cuomo's new limitations on religious gatherings in COVID-19 hot spots in response to a lawsuit from the Catholic diocese, saying the government enjoys “wide latitude” in responding to a pandemic.
