Robinson v. Murphy
Application for injunctive relief granted on Dec. 15, 2020
Issue: Whether the Supreme Court should temporarily suspend, pending appeal, COVID-19 restrictions instituted by New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy — specifically, limiting houses of worship to 25% of capacity or a numerical cap, whichever is less, and allowing only “brief” or “momentary” removal of mandated masks in religious settings, while imposing less restrictive limits on secular activities — because the restrictions violate the First Amendment’s protections for the free exercise of religion as well as free speech and assembly.
| Date | Proceedings and Orders (key to color coding) |
|---|
| Nov 25 2020 | Application (20A95) for injunctive relief, submitted to Justice Alito. |
| Nov 28 2020 | Response to application (20A95) requested by Justice Alito, due Thursday, December 3, by 6 p.m. |
| Dec 03 2020 | Response to application from respondents Phil Murphy, et al. filed. |
| Dec 03 2020 | Motion for leave to file amici brief filed by American Medical Association, et al. |
| Dec 04 2020 | Reply of applicants Kevin Robinson, et al. filed. |
| Dec 15 2020 | Application (20A95) referred to the Court. |
| Dec 15 2020 | The application for injunctive relief, presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court, is treated as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment, and the petition is granted. The October 2 order of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit with instructions to remand to the District Court for further consideration in light of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, 592 U. S. ___ (2020). |
| Jan 19 2021 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |
