Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge on Tuesday upheld an order closing movie theaters in New Jersey, finding that the state is not infringing on theaters’ First Amendment rights in its pandemic response.Judge Brian Martinotti denied a motion for an injunction, which had been sought by the National Association of Theatre Owners, the industry’s main lobbyist group, and six cinema chains.
The theaters had argued that the state was discriminating against them by allowing churches to remain open while theaters were ordered to close.But in his 33-page opinion, Martinotti found that the order is content-neutral, and that the state had shown it was a reasonable response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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