A federal judge ruled yesterday that some of the restrictions put in place by Governor Tom Wolf in response to the Coronavirus pandemic were unconstitutional.
The lawsuit was filed by Butler, Greene, Fayette and Washington Counties along with Congressman Mike Kelly and state representatives Daryl Metcalfe, Marcie Mustello, and Tim Bonner, and several private business owners; and named Governor Wolf, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachael Levine. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV said that he sided with the plaintiffs, saying that while the Governor may have had the best of intentions, his pandemic polices were overreaching and arbitrary, and they violated the citizens’ constitutional rights.
The ruling means that current restrictions, including the ones that limit the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings, cannot be enforced. The ruling also said that stay at home orders were unconstitutional and should not have happened, and that the business shutdown orders violated two sections of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling does not impact any other mitigation orders in place, including wearing a mask, worker and building safety orders, and the targeted mitigation orders announced in July.
Attorneys with the Wolf Administration are reviewing the opinion and they plan on filing an appeal.
