Governor Tom Wolf is now appealing a federal judge’s recent decision that deemed his coronavirus shutdowns unconstitutional.
Wolf and Health Secretary Dr. Levine filed appeals on both the original order from Judge William Stickman, and his most recent decision to deny a stay of Wolf’s order.
The lawsuit was originally filed by Butler County and other counties in the region. Commissioners Leslie Osche and Kim Geyer voted to proceed with the lawsuit, and Geyer stands behind the decision.
“While we are creatures of the state,” Geyer said in reference to the county getting dismissed as a plaintiff from the lawsuit. “We also have a responsibility as commissioners to listen to our constituents who were communicating to us that they were being harmed. And so we asserted ourselves on their behalf because their businesses were being adversely harmed and affected.”
Commissioner Kevin Boozel however did not vote in favor of the suit, and contends that the lawsuit wasn’t necessary because he felt the communication was getting better between the county and state.
“At the end of the day, because I was able to have that communication for us as a county, and from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, I felt that we were on the right track that we could now balance what we needed to do, and what they were willing to offer,” Boozel said.
Both cases now move to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
