WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ohio Representative Brad Wenstrup, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, announced this week that he will be convening a hearing to examine the constitutionality of federal, state, and local actions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic that infringed upon the civil liberties of Americans. The hearing, titled “Churches vs. Casinos: The Constitution is not Suspended in Times of Crisis,” comes in response to recent remarks made by Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch of the Supreme Court.
In his opinion in the case of Arizona v. Mayorkas, Justice Gorsuch raised concerns about the extensive emergency decrees, referring to them as potentially “the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country.” Rep. Wenstrup aims to delve into the issues of unconstitutional lockdowns, violations of free speech, suspension of religious freedoms, harmful school closures, and unscientific masking and vaccine mandates that have impacted the American population.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which has been actively investigating public health failures during the pandemic, will continue to scrutinize public policy missteps and deficiencies to better prepare the country for future crises. Rep. Wenstrup emphasized the importance of recognizing that emergency decrees, while promising to address certain problems, may generate others, and that relying on indefinite emergency edicts risks eroding democracy and civil liberties.
In a statement, Rep. Wenstrup highlighted the disparity between the treatment of churchgoers and gamblers, stating that “churchgoers were threatened with criminal penalties while gamblers were free to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights.” He expressed his firm belief that the unequal application of lockdowns, mandates, and closures constituted a clear violation of protected freedoms, warranting a thorough investigation.
After years of encroachments on civil liberties and infringements on personal freedoms, Rep. Wenstrup stressed that Americans deserve answers. The hearing will provide a platform for esteemed witnesses to offer insights into the constitutionality of COVID-19 mitigation strategies.