Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., has teamed with business owners and some state elected officials, in a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus restrictions.
The Hill reported that Kelly is part of a group made up of three state lawmakers, business owners and four counties in southwestern Pennsylvania who have sued in federal court questioning the constitutionality of Wolf’s orders, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The newspaper said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court previously had ruled in favor of Wolf in another lawsuit challenging his authority.
David Russo, the district attorney for Greene County – one of the counties now suing -- has said he will not prosecute any businesses that reopen in his area, where 27 people have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Tribune-Review.
“I cannot in good conscience stand by and watch our economy and the small businesses in my community perish,” Russo said. “If large conglomerate shopping centers, gas stations and businesses deemed essential such as beer distributors can safely operate with thousands of customers entering their stores each day, then there is no reason the small business owner should not be allowed to operate under the same guidelines.”
The newspaper noted that Wolf, a Democrat, has angered the Republican-controlled Legislature with his insistence that Pennsylvania follow a data-driven, region-by-region reopening.
Pennsylvania, as of Friday, had reported 52,915 coronavirus cases and 3,416 deaths, the state’s health system noted.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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