Author: Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

The ruling carries political as well as legal and constitutional implications for the president and Congress.

Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance called the ruling a “tremendous victory” and emphasized he will follow the law and the facts “wherever they may lead.”

The 65-year-old Roberts, the nation’s 17th chief justice, has had a history of occasional seizures going back to 1993.

Political groups wanted the original law declared unconstitutional, while the government wanted both the ban and the government-debt exception upheld.

Thirty-two states require the people chosen on Election Day to cast ballots for the winner of their states’ popular vote, but 18 states do not.

The court did not require states to fund religious education, ruling only that programs cannot favor private secular schools over religious ones.

The battle reached the court days before Pentecost Sunday, when churches restricted during recent lockdowns are eager to greet congregants.

The decision brought to a close a case of partisan retribution that came to symbolize the Garden State’s unique brand of dirty politics.

The decision represents the high court’s views on Congress’ power of the purse: Lawmakers cannot promise funding and then disavow that pledge.