‘Constitution Isn’t Suspended’ for COVID-19, Attorney General Barr Warns Public Officials  John G. Malcolm / April 27, 2020In a new memo, Attorney General William Barr reminds states and localities that they have to be mindful when crafting temporary rules to fight COVID-19 and that “the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers.” Pictured: Barr speaks during the daily briefing on COVID-19 in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 1, 2020. 

Attorney General William Barr on Monday publicly released an official memorandum he sent to United States attorneys and to his assistant attorney general for civil rights. The subject of the memo was “Balancing Public Safety with the Preservation of Civil Rights.” 

The memo is a succinct acknowledgment of the extraordinary challenges posed by the coronavirus, a much-needed reminder of our constitutional rights, and a warning to those states and localities that might tread upon our individual rights.

Barr’s memo is, in effect, a warning order to his 94 U.S. attorneys. It tells them to “be on the lookout for state and local directives that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.”

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