William Barr warns states not to violate Constitutional rights during COVID-19 lock down

  Tensions are finally beginning to rise as Americans grow tired of the COVID-19 lock down and the loss of our rights. Some of the States have put more restrictions on their people than others have and now the Attorney General, William Barr, is warning States that they will be looking for civil liberties violations as the lock down moves forward. Here is more:

Now, I am directing each of our United States Attorneys to also be on the lookout for state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.

As the Department of Justice explained recently in guidance to states and localities taking steps to battle the pandemic, even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. The legal restrictions on state and local authority are not limited to discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. For example, the Constitution also forbids, in certain circumstances, discrimination against disfavored speech and undue interference with the national economy. If a state or local ordinance crosses the line from an appropriate exercise of authority to stop the spread of COVID19 into an overbearing infringement of constitutional and statutory protections, the Department of Justice may have an obligation to address that overreach in federal court.

I am therefore directing the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Eric Dreiband, and Matthew Schneider; the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, to oversee and coordinate our efforts to monitor state and local policies and, if necessary, take action to correct them. They should work not only with all Department of Justice offices and other federal agencies, but with state and local officials as well.

  I am happy that somebody with some authority is finally standing up for the Constitution, and this is a step in the right direction, but he still apparently believes most of the lock down restrictions were okay under the circumstances, where I would argue that all the States have done has been unconstitutional and a violation of our civil liberties. We are arguing over which degree of tyranny is acceptable and that is not acceptable.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium