Blocking someone from entering a house of worship, or acting in a way that makes worshippers feel afraid for their safety, is now a crime in New York under legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday.
The law creates a misdemeanor criminal charge for people who interfere with access to places of worship. It also expressly authorizes police to establish 50-foot security perimeters outside houses of worship where protests are not permitted. The measure applies statewide and covers any house of worship, including synagogues, mosques, and churches.
The legislation comes after a series of protests outside synagogues that hosted real estate events promoting emigration to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Some demonstrations devolved into clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, with activists at one Queens protest chanting pro-Hamas remarks.
What the Right Is Saying
The New York Civil Liberties Union criticized the legislation as a threat to free speech and peaceful assembly. "This law risks chilling activism at a time when the voices of New Yorkers are more needed than ever, which will be a gift to the Trump administration," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU.
Pro-Palestinian groups argue that real estate events promoting emigration to Israel and settlement in occupied territories amount to complicity in what they describe as efforts to displace Arabs from Israel and Palestinian territories. They maintain that protesting such events is protected political speech directed at policy, not at Jewish worshippers generally.
Civil liberties advocates note the legislation raises First Amendment questions. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 struck down a 35-foot protest-free buffer zone outside abortion clinics in Massachusetts as unconstitutional, setting precedent that courts scrutinize such restrictions on speech.
What the Left Is Saying
Gov. Hochul, a Democrat, framed the legislation as necessary protection for religious freedom. "Every New Yorker should be able to enter their house of worship and practice their religion without fear," she said in a statement announcing the signing.
Jewish leaders have supported the law, arguing that some protests targeted at synagogues crossed into antisemitic harassment. They contend that houses of worship should be protected spaces where congregants can gather without intimidation.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also a Democrat, signed a separate local ordinance requiring the NYPD to disclose its protocols for handling protests outside places of worship and rules governing how security perimeters may be used.
What the Numbers Show
The new law creates a misdemeanor charge for obstruction of worship access. Misdemeanor convictions in New York carry penalties of up to one year in jail and fines.
Police are authorized to establish 50-foot security perimeters around houses of worship during protests, though specifics on enforcement remain subject to NYPD policy under the separate disclosure ordinance signed by Mayor Mamdani.
The law applies statewide across all New York counties and covers mosques as well as synagogues, addressing concerns that protests have also targeted Muslim places of worship over the years.
The Bottom Line
New York has enacted one of the most direct legal protections for worship access in the country, criminalizing interference with entry to religious buildings. Supporters say it fills a gap in protecting religious exercise; critics argue it creates a template for restricting legitimate protest activity.
The law takes effect immediately following Hochul's signature. Legal challenges are likely, given precedent from Supreme Court rulings on protest buffer zones. How courts balance the right to worship against free speech protections will determine whether the 50-foot perimeter provision survives constitutional scrutiny. NYPD must disclose its security perimeter policies under Mayor Mamdani's separate ordinance within timelines set by that legislation.