PA high court sides with governor

General Assembly cannot unilaterally end emergency declaration

By OWEN WALSH
Posted 7/2/20

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the commonwealth's General Assembly cannot unilaterally end Gov. Tom Wolf's emergency declaration.

PA Republicans passed …

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PA high court sides with governor

General Assembly cannot unilaterally end emergency declaration

Posted

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the commonwealth's General Assembly cannot unilaterally end Gov. Tom Wolf's emergency declaration.

PA Republicans passed legislation in June to bring an end to the governor's COVID-19 declaration of emergency which has been in place since March. At the time, Republicans claimed that Wolf had no choice but to adhere to their decision.

But now the high court has decided that the governor does have the constitutional power to veto the General Assembly's bill.

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has since issued a statement criticizing the court's decision.

"Today’s ruling, which comes just moments after another unenforceable, unilateral mask order, sends a message to all Pennsylvanians: The governor and the Supreme Court do not want to hear from you," it reads. "The House Republican leadership team and our members will continue to work in the House to find a path to helping all Pennsylvanians rebuild and recover from the governor’s decisions.”

Wolf's administration has released a statement saying it is "pleased" with the court's ruling. However, as Wolf has clarified in the past, the emergency declaration has no legal relation to the Health Department's ability to order businesses to shut down or reopen.

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