US Attorney General won't rule out legal action against states amid lockdown protests

Amid scattered protests around the United States against the social distancing measures, Attorney General William Barr said that he won’t rule out legal action against states if such orders infringe civil liberties. Governors across the US have issued stay-at-home orders putting a ban on social gatherings and shutting down businesses and schools to contain the spread of coronavirus.

During a radio interview, Barr said he was more concerned about the sweeping orders which call for closing down businesses regardless of the capacity of the business to operate safely. The US Attorney General added that they are looking carefully at the rules brought in by the states and will pressurise the governors to roll back or readjust such orders if they find it too harsh.

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The 69-year-old lawyer said that if governors remain defiant and people bring lawsuits against them, then the Justice Department will file statements of interest and side with the plaintiffs. Barr’s comment comes days after the Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in support of the Mississippi Church that had sued the city of Greenville for infringing religious freedom using the stay-at-home order.

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Religious freedom

Barr had issued a statement saying the City appears to have singled out churches as the only essential service that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing. He said that the government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to a similar nonreligious activity.

“The United States Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions,” Barr concluded.

While some state governors have teamed up to restore the economy by gradually reopening the businesses in the region, some are taking a more cautious approach. The United States has reported over 800,000 coronavirus cases and more than 45,000 deaths with New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts being the worst-hit.

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(Image Credit: AP)