When it comes to states with draconian shutdown orders, Pennsylvania was among the worst. It got so bad that the state’s governor had to resort to threatening to withhold funds from counties that didn’t obey his COVID-19 orders. Others in the state didn’t like it, and the issue ended up in federal court. Today, a judge smacked down Gov. Wolf’s shutdown orders as unconstitutional:
BREAKING: A federal judge has ruled that the states shutdown orders and business closures this spring were unconstitutional. @KDKA https://t.co/bXak59P4Ha
— Nicole Ford (@NicoleFordTV) September 14, 2020
Federal Judge Rules Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Dr. Rachel Levine's Shutdown Orders Unconstitutional https://t.co/sxMcpAjgvR
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) September 14, 2020
Here is Judge Stickman's order in Butler v. Wolf.https://t.co/dvwarguc6n
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) September 14, 2020
Well look at that:
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U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, an appointee of President Donald Trump, sided with the plaintiffs. Stickman wrote in his ruling that the Wolf administration’s pandemic policies have been overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens’ constitutional rights.
The governor’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus “were undertaken with the good intention of addressing a public health emergency,” Stickman wrote. “But even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered.”
So it turns out there isn’t an unlimited amount of power state government officials can grab in the name of “safety” because of the U.S. Constitution? Thankfully that’s finally been acknowledged:
SANITY! https://t.co/3tAUTf8hic
— Sandy 〽️ (@RightGlockMom) September 14, 2020
About time…can we get these orders rolled out nationwide now, please? Any legislators out there looking to free their constituents, maybe?
Here's the roadmap. https://t.co/SjPeR2OI12
— Carlos Trujillo (@_CarlosTrujillo) September 14, 2020
About freaking time. Now just has to be replicated in the rest of the lockdown states https://t.co/U8V7IiwAgm
— boop-bop-beep bot522 (OTfan522) (@simulationBot52) September 14, 2020