Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned that the pandemic has sparked "unimaginable" restrictions on civil liberties.
His remarks came Thursday during an address to a conference of the Federalist Society, according to The Washington Post.
"We have never before seen restrictions as severe, extensive, and prolonged as those experienced for most of 2020," he said in a speech webcast to the legal society's lawyers' convention.
And Fox News noted that Alito maintained that many recent law school graduates claim they face "harassment" and "retaliation" for any views that depart "from law school orthodoxy."
"Tolerance for opposing views is now in short supply," he said. "In certain quarters religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right. For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It's often just an excuse for bigotry and it can't be tolerated even when there's no evidence that anybody has been harmed."
He also said houses of worship have been treated unfairly compared to other businesses during the pandemic. He pointed out the case in Nevada, according to the news network.
"Nevada was unable to provide any justification for treating casinos more favorably than other houses of worship," he said, referring to a recent Supreme Court case.
The court deferred to the governor who sided with the state's biggest industry, he said
Alito noted it would have been difficult to imagine before the pandemic that speeches and concerts would be off-limits and that churches would be empty on Easter.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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