Posted on 04/30/2020 5:56:32 AM PDT by PBRCat
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s extension of a statewide stay-at-home order continued to face pushback, with a second Republican state lawmaker challenging the order in a lawsuit accusing the governor of creating “a police state.”
The lawsuits, along with more rallies later this week to protest the governor’s order, reflect a growing frustration over the state shutdown in some quarters even as state officials said the number of known COVID-19 cases in Illinois had pushed past 50,000.
Rep. John Cabello, a Rockford police officer, said he seeks broader results from the lawsuit he filed Wednesday in Winnebago County.
“Once we heard the arguments, ... I wanted it to apply to the rest of the state,” said Cabello. “So we’re trying to find a way of doing it so that it applies to anyone that wants to do it, not to just one person. And make no mistake — this does not force anyone to leave their homes. This would give them the option.”
Illinois has been under a statewide stay-at-home order since March 21. The order was originally set to expire April 7 but Pritzker announced last week that residents would be under a stay-at-home order through May 30.
Cabello’s lawsuit accuses Pritzker of distorting the state’s Emergency Management Agency Act to create a “police state” through his stay-at-home orders. The suit contends Pritzker has used police powers reserved for the legislature to enforce his order and that he has usurped powers to limit travel that are reserved for local health departments.
Change can’t come quickly enough for some Illinoisans. Small protests over the past two weekends at the state Capitol in Springfield have urged that the state’s economy be reopened, while some downstate leaders have pushed for regional reopening plans. More protests are planned for Friday in Chicago and Springfield.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
REP. DARREN BAILEY, first one to file suit, stated on LAURA INGRAHAM’S show last night there is a 1970s law that gives GOV. PRITZKER authority to shut down ILLINOIS for only 30 days.
He’s right - and the IL AG’s response is a feeble effort. I’ve never studied law, and I can find several errors: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2020_04/Bailey_Petition_Memorandum_Filed.pdf
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