Testimony Heard After Leaders From 4 Counties File Lawsuit Claiming Gov. Tom Wolf's Coronavirus Restrictions Are Unconstitutional
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The coronavirus shutdown order and current restrictions impact almost everyone across the state.
Leaders from four western Pennsylvania counties believe the state's restrictions are unconstitutional. They are suing the state.
"Does a governor, any governor, our governor, Wisconsin's governor, whomever, do they have the authority — through the Constitution of the United States of America — to shut down the economy the way they did or force closures of any businesses?" said Nick Sherman, a Washington County commissioner.
Sherman tells KDKA that he believes the answer to the question is no. That's why Washington, Butler, Greene, Fayette and a handful of state leaders filed a federal lawsuit against the state over the governor's shutdown orders.
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"If we were to be successful, we believe that the judge would order that a similar circumstance could not happen again," said Tom King, the lead attorney on the case.
After two full days of testimony in the last week, the case is now in the hands of the judge.
As the commissioners wait for answers, they are hopeful that a change will be made to help their communities in the future.
"I feel that a lot of people are losing hope in the legislative process. A lot of people are really beaten down by this. We have more people losing jobs. We have to have a balance between the disease or this virus to make sure we aren't completely killing the economy," Sherman said.
Both sides are working to submit a final brief. After that, the judge will make a decision by the end of August.
