‘US SC’s order blocking curbs on NY church gatherings is political’

New York, Nov 27 : New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that a Supreme Court injunction to block the state’s restrictions on church gatherings is political and has no practical effects.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Cuomo said that the case, brought by two religious groups, was moot because the zones in which the groups are located are no longer subject to those restrictions, reports Xinhua news agency.
The court’s decision, made a few minutes before midnight on the night before Thanksgiving day as the justices voted 5-4, “is more illustrative of the Supreme Court than anything else”, said Cuomo.
“This was really just an opportunity for the court to express its philosophy and its politics. It doesn’t have any practical effects.” He went on to question why the court ruled “on an issue that is moot?” In an unsigned majority opinion, the court said that the restrictions would violate religious freedom and are not neutral because they “single out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment”.