New York Post reports that a lawsuit was filed last Friday in a New York federal district court against the state of New York and Gov. Andrew Cuomo challenging the constitutionality of Cuomo's stay-at-home order imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Among other things, plaintiff, a Brooklyn lawyer, alleges that the ban violates his rights to free speech and to observe his Jewish faith.
A mandamus action filed in the Texas Supreme Court similarly challenges a Harris County, Texas stay-at-home order. Houston Chronicle reports that the challenge filed by three pastors and a conservative Republican activist claims that the order violates the 1st Amendment by ordering the closure of churches and also violates the Constitution by failing to classify gun shops as essential businesses.
UPDATE: Here is the full text of the complaint in the Texas case, In re Hotze, (TX Sup. Ct., filed 3/30/2020).
UPDATE 2: Front Porch News reports on an April 21 updated version of Texas' “Guidance to Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Crisis.”
