Lawsuits contend Gov. Wolf has no authority to issue new restrictions
A Butler County attorney who previously won a federal lawsuit against the Wolf administration over the spring covid-19 shutdown orders filed two new suits over the governor’s most recent orders.
The lawsuits — one filed by the Butler Area School District and the other by two indoor water parks — allege that Gov. Tom Wolf took action prohibited under state law when, on Dec. 12, he issued orders closing entertainment venues, limiting indoor capacity to 10 people and prohibiting school students from participating in extracurricular activities and athletics.
“In both instances, he’s exercising powers our clients believe he doesn’t have,” said attorney Tom King. In the school district lawsuit, he wrote: “The governor’s powers are not absolute, and he cannot act in a manner that violates the Pennsylvania Constitution and statutes.”
King filed the suit on behalf of Butler Area School District, as well as the school board and several parents, on Monday afternoon in Commonwealth Court. The lawsuit contends Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine usurped their authority relative to how the order affects local school districts.
Read more: https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/lawsuits-contend-gov-wolf-has-no-authority-to-issue-new-restrictions/
(Pittsburgh Tribune Review)