New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he wasn’t thinking about the Bill of Rights when he issued social distancing orders to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
“That’s above my pay grade, Tucker,” Murphy said Wednesday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “So, I wasn’t thinking of the Bill of Rights when we did this. We went to all — first of all — we went to the scientists who said people have to stay away from each other.”
Carlson pressed the Democratic governor on where he got the authority to contravene the Constitution.
“Well, here’s the thing,” Murphy responded. “We know we need to stay away from each other, number one. Number two, we do have broad authority within the state. And number three, we would never do that without coordinating, discussing, and hashing it out with the variety of the leaders of the faiths of New Jersey.”
New Jersey has more than 71,000 coronavirus cases, more than any other state except New York.
More than 3,000 people have died in the state from the coronavirus.
The debate about the stay-at-home orders focused on an incident earlier this month when police in Lakewood, NJ, charged 15 men for violating Murphy’s ban on large gatherings by congregating at a synagogue for a rabbi’s funeral.
Carlson pressed Murphy on whether he consulted with an attorney because the order has legal as well as medical implications.
“I don’t go to the men’s room without consulting an attorney, so I guarantee you we did that,” Murphy joked.
He said he spoke to leaders of faith in the Garden State, including Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark.
Murphy denied he was infringing on anybody’s right to worship during the outbreak, but “we have to find a different way to worship.”
Last week he extended the orders he imposed on March 9 for an additional 30 days.