A circuit court judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday against future executive orders that may be signed by Gov. Andy Beshear related to the COVID-19 emergency, stating that the governor must spell out specific details on why they are needed.
The judge's ruling came hours before Beshear announced he had signed a new executive order mandating Kentuckians to wear a mask in public for the next 30 days, a reaction to an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases over the past week.
After announcing the new mask mandate at his press conference Thursday afternoon, Beshear lashed out at the judge's order and the Republican attorney general and commissioner of agriculture who joined the lawsuit, calling it "absolutely irresponsible."
The order by Scott County Circuit Judge Brian Privett came in response to a lawsuit from Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and an orchard and cider mill in Georgetown, challenging Beshear's past orders limiting customer capacity at certain businesses. Attorney General Daniel Cameron also intervened in the case in support of the plaintiffs.
In addition to issuing a restraining order against Beshear's pandemic-related emergency restrictions on 548 agritourism businesses registered with the state Department of Agriculture, Privett ruled that the governor would be restricted in his future orders.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/09/judge-issues-restraining-order-beshears-future-covid-19-orders/5408750002/?fbclid=IwAR0fe7XaN_VOOUCy05hKR5VU7q2sQEXy6V0maJAXT4ZTKY2ho7mXYy9Lqbc
