Everything Stops for Tea

The Supreme Court did address one of the other cases I noted in my First Monday post, Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao Do Vegetal, in which the government challenged the 10th Circuit ruling that upheld the right of a religious group to use a hallucinogenic tea during twice-monthly four-hour rituals.

In today's essentially unanimous opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts (Justice Alito took no part in the decision, as argument was heard before he joined the Court), the Court affirmed the 10th Circuit decision upholding the district court's preliminary injunction barring the government from preventing the church's sacramental use of the tea.