Conservative radio host Mark Levin defended President Trump’s legal right to act if state governors violate the religious freedom rights in a manner he deems unconstitutional.
“1. The free exercise of religion is part of the First Amendment of the FEDERAL constitution, which the Supreme Court has applied to the states along with the rest of the Bill of Rights,” Levin tweeted Tuesday.
1. The free exercise of religion is part of the First Amendment of the FEDERAL constitution, which the Supreme Court has applied to the states along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) May 26, 2020
Levin continued: “If the president, as the head of the unitary executive branch, believes a governor is violating the religious liberty rights of the citizenry, he can direct his Justice Department to act. It’s a recognized civil liberty like other individual human rights.”
The question of religious freedom has been much talked about during the coronavirus pandemic as states across the country, most notably California, Illinois, and Kentucky, have implemented stay-at-home orders that made church services impossible.
Several reporters and media outlets have criticized Trump for insisting that he can do something about governors that continue to keep churches closed.
“I can absolutely do it if I want to,” Trump said when asked about his authority to act on protecting religious freedom during a Thursday press conference, which earned him criticism from Vox’s Aaron Rupar moments later.
“I can absolutely do it if I want to” — Trump insists he has the authority to overrule state governors if they refuse to reopen places of worship (he does not have that authority) pic.twitter.com/GxslxOJf1t
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 26, 2020
Levin concluded his Twitter thread by addressing those who are questioning Trump’s authority on this issue.
“There’s lots of phony reporting and silly professors who’ve no idea what they’re talking about,” he tweeted.
The Justice Department said in mid-April it is “monitoring” state governments that have cracked down on church services and sided with a Virginia church in their effort to push back against Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order in early May.
