Judge Rules Against Governor’s Stay-At-Home Order In Suit Brought By GOP Lawmaker

By
Jordan Riddle
-
OPINION | This article contains opinion. This site is licensed to publish this content.

🚨 POLL: Have Governors Gone Too Far on Lockdown Orders?

[mo-optin-form id=”eTeQvgsXSI”]

🚨 POLL: Have Governors Gone Too Far on Lockdown Orders?


💥 Click To Text Your Answer 👇


An Illinois court has ruled against Governor J.B. Pritzker in a case brought forward by a Republican state lawmaker who was seeking a temporary restraining order against the state’s stay-at-home order aimed at stopping the coronavirus, according to Fox News.

The ruling would have applied only to the one lawmaker but could have consequences if others follow.

Rep. Darren Bailey filed the motion earlier in the month, in hopes of preventing the governor from “from taking any action … which orders Darren Bailey to stay at home, or at his place of residence, as well as limiting his ability to travel within the state…”

The motion alleged that Pritzker’s orders were “in excess of the authority granted him” under Illinois law.

The Governor said, “It’s insulting. It’s dangerous and people’s safety and health have now been put at risk.”

“There may be people who contract coronavirus as a result of what Darren Bailey has done.”

Pritzker also called Bailey “blindly devoted to ideology and the pursuit of personal celebrity.”

“The message is clear, we are not Chicago and we already distance ourselves just by our rural life styles. Why should we be punished with the loss of jobs and closing our businesses when the coronavirus emergency isn’t the same for us?” Bailey asked in a statement last week. “This one-size-fits-all mentality needs to be reviewed and take into account our diversity from urban to rural areas of the state.”

“COVID-19 knows no county or regional boundaries. When listing counties by infection rate, two of the five highest are downstate. In order, that’s Cook, Jasper, Lake, Will & Randolph. Looking at deaths per capita, the two highest counties are Jasper & Monroe—both in Southern IL,” Pritzker said.

He continued: “No matter where you live, I want you to be healthy and safe. Following the advice of the scientists and experts is what has kept people in every region of our state alive.”

More from Fox News:

Bailey, on the other hand, said in a post on his website that Pritzker’s stay-at-home order oversimplified the coronavirus problem and didn’t take into account the fact it spreads more slowly in places where the population isn’t as dense.

On the same day as he was dealt a blow by his state’s judiciary, Pritzker Monday extended his stay-at-home-order, with some modifications making it less strict than the state’s current one – set to expire at the end of the month – until May 30.

It is unclear if any additional lawsuits have been filed seeking exemptions from the stay-at-home order, or if any will be.

Meanwhile, in South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem has decided to dismiss the intense stay-at-home orders in her state and the citizens of South Dakota loved it so much, they threw a parade in her honor.

The parade drew numerous vehicles, firetrucks, a pickup hauling a stock trailer, a concrete truck, and even construction equipment, according to The Daily Wire.

— Advertisement —

Noem tweeted, “I am so blessed to serve the people of the great State of South Dakota. You folks made my day!”

On Monday, Noem released a “Back to Normal Plan” for her state. She wrote:

“Thanks to a strong commitment and respect for the principle of personal responsibility, South Dakotans have dramatically changed the trajectory of our initial COVID-19 projections. With our hospitalization capacity currently at a manageable level, South Dakotans are asked to the following steps as we look to get back to normal.”

The statement answered various FAQ’a about new orders, and the document states, “South Dakota never issued a ‘stay at home’ or ‘shelter in place’ order. South Dakotans are encouraged to use common sense and practice good hygiene and reasonable physical distancing.”

Another hypothetical question on the statement said, “Are businesses, including outdoor venues and events, allowed to reopen?” Answer: “No business was ever required to close. Businesses are encouraged to consider these guidelines as they resume normal operations, and also must adhere to any local restrictions.”

A third: “When can churches and other places of worship resume religious services?” Answer: “Churches were never required to close; as they resume services, they are encouraged to consider the guidelines for ‘public gatherings’ and to consider steps to maintain reasonable physical distancing.”

Noem stated in early April, “Our constitution ensures that the citizen’s right is protected. I agree with the role of our government as set forth in our state and in our national constitution. I took an oath to uphold these constitutions. My role with respect to public safety is something I take very seriouslyThe people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety. They are the ones that are entrusted with expansive freedoms – they are free to exercise their rights to work, worship, and play – or to stay at home, or to conduct social distancing. The calls to apply a one-size-fits all approach to this problem in South Dakota is herd mentality, not leadership.”

More from The Daily Wire:

Last week Noem stated, “I think we’ve got maybe 60 people in the hospital right now. We have 2,500 beds set aside for COVID-19 patients, but we only have 63 in. We probably, from all of our projections and studying the science behind the virus, we won’t peak until the middle of June. But we already have done much better than what we had thought would have been hitting our state already,” as the Washington Examiner reported.