Trump Judge Overturns PA Gov’s Lockdown Orders

The Associated Press reports:

Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered “non-life-sustaining” businesses to shut down are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theaters, a farmer’s market vendor, a horse trainer and several Republican officeholders in their lawsuit against Wolf, a Democrat, and his health secretary.

Wolf has since lifted many of the restrictions, allowing businesses to reopen and canceling a statewide stay-at-home order. But over the summer, his administration imposed a new round of statewide pandemic restrictions on bars, restaurants and larger indoor gatherings in response to rising infection rates.

Our story, updated with additional comment from Pa. House GOP leaders @RepBryanCutler and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff: https://t.co/3iVSji152k #PaPolitics

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) September 14, 2020

A federal judge has ruled that key components of Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus mitigation strategy are unconstitutional, including a statewide limit on how many Pennsylvanians can gather in one place. https://t.co/ZpzediG8j7

— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) September 14, 2020