An Oregon judge gave the state’s Democratic Governor Kate Brown some bad news on Monday when he ruled that her strict coronavirus restrictions were “null and void” after she failed to get approval from her emergency orders from the state legislature within 28 days.
Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff made this ruling on Monday as he presided over a lawsuit filed by churches who argued that Brown’s social distancing guidelines were unconstitutional, according to Fox News. The churches argued that a governor can only use emergency powers for a month and would need approval from the state legislature beyond that, and the judge ruled that they were correct in this assertion.
Brown was clearly unhappy with the ruling, saying that she would appeal it to the Supreme Court immediately so that she can try to keep the emergency orders in affect.
“This will ensure we can continue to safeguard the health of all Oregonians — including frontline health care workers, those living in nursing homes, workers in agriculture and food processing plants, and Oregonians with underlying health conditions –– while the legal process moves forward,” Brown said.
Ray Hacke, the lawyer representing the churches, said that the judge’s ruling invalidates Brown’s entire stay-at-home order.
“The stay-at-home order is no longer in effect. It is invalidated. If people want to get their haircut, they can. They can leave their home for any reason whether it’s deemed essential in the eye of the state or not,” Hacke explained, adding that the ruling was a victory for not only freedom of religion, but all of the freedoms Oregon has to offer.
“Praise God. I’m excited, and I’m glad that the judge saw that there are limitations on the governor’s power, even in the midst of emergencies,” he said.
Americans all over the country are starting to fight back against the overbearing Democratic governors who have used the coronavirus pandemic to put ridiculous restrictions on their people as they try to control every aspect of their lives. This judge’s ruling should be a warning shot to Democratic governors everywhere of what will happen should they overstep their power too far.
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