Judge blesses New Jersey’s movie theater shutdown

A closed AMC theater (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
A closed AMC theater (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

A federal judge ruled that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s March executive order that closed movie theaters in the Garden State is constitutional, according to NJ.com.

The National Association of Theater Owners filed suit against the state, claiming the order infringed on theater operators’ First Amendment rights, and sought an injunction to block enforcement of the rule. Murphy’s order was designed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

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The theater owners argued the order discriminated against them because the state allowed churches to reopen, but the state countered that it was more difficult to enforce a mask mandate in dark theaters. [NJ.com] — Dennis Lynch