After a 12-hour court hearing in Boone County, a judge said he would grant a temporary injunction regarding Governor Andy Beshear’s COVID-19 related executive orders. Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked for the temporary injunction saying “This is not about the Governor’s policies, it’s about making sure he follows the law.”
The plaintiffs who filed suit are the Florence Speedway in Walton, Theodore J. Roberts of Burlington, Ridgeway Properties, Beans Café & Bakery in Dry Ridge and Little Links to Learning in Fort Wright. Representatives for the group said they took their case to court because they felt the Governor's executive orders capping crowd sizes and other restrictions were unfair and detrimental to their businesses. Cameron had also asked the judge for a temporary injunction ending all of the Governor's executive orders related to the pandemic.
At the time this report was filed we have need seen the written order but the ruling from the bench indicates that restrictions on restaurants, businesses and child care will be relaxed.
At his Coronavirus press briefing on Thursday night Beshear said “No rules? Companies wouldn’t even have to sanitize or use hand sanitizers, no masks -- just the wild-west. That’s terrifying in the middle of a worldwide health pandemic, and it would mean we would fail, and it means people would die.”
After the ruling Cameron tweeted "Tonight a Boone Circuit Judge indicated he will be signing an order requiring Governor Beshear to follow the legal process when taking executive action. This ruling provides much-needed relief to Kentucky businesses that joined us in challenging the Governor's notion that he has absolute power apart from the law. This ruling does not hamper the ability of public health officials to ensure the safety and well-being of Kentuckians. Public health experts today testified in court that they have the tools they need to regulate public health and fight the coronavirus without executive orders from the Governor. While Governro Beshear's legal team stated in court that there are no limits on his power, our Constitution, state law, and Judge at today's proceedings said otherwise. We do not yet have the specifics of the order but we are confident that it will balance public health with the rights of Kentuckians."
This morning the Governor released this statement saying "Late last night the Boone Circuit Court judge indicated he would void all of the orders the Governor has issued to keep us safe. We are awaiting a written order and will be ready to take further action. The lives of many Kentuckians are on the line.”