Mr. Chief Justice, may it please the court.

I'm Amy Swearer.

And I'm John Carlo Conoparo.

And welcome to SCOTUS 101, where we break down what's happening at the Supreme Court, what the justices are up to, and other things related to our favorite branch of government.

Welcome to another episode of SCOTUS 101. This week I'm joined once again by my friend and

colleague Zach Smith, who's filling in for Amy. I appreciate you having me back.

So, Zach, last week we had Professor Josh Blackman on the show to discuss COVID restrictions

on houses of worship,

and two cases at the Supreme Court that asked for emergency relief from New York's restriction.

New York's restriction, as you probably remember, imposed stricter occupancy limits on houses of worship than it did on secular businesses.

Well, just a few minutes before midnight on Thanksgiving,

the court handed the plaintiffs a win.

The court held that if a COVID restriction

singles out houses of worship for a harsher treatment

than secular businesses, the restrictions

must pass strict scrutiny.

New York's restrictions failed because there

was no evidence that houses of worship contributed to outbreaks or that they otherwise needed to be treated any worse than businesses.

The case is also significant because it's the first instance in which the presence of the court's newest member, Amy Coney-Barritt, made a difference.

She joined the five-four majority striking down the restrictions with the

Chief Justice joining Justice's Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor in dissent. And in fact, although

the majority opinion was issued per curiam, meaning unsigned, Ross Guberman, who's the president

...