Another Illinois lawmaker is planning a legal challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Susan Carlson has details.
A second Illinois lawmaker has filed a lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker over his stay-at-home order issued to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Rep. John Cabello, a Republican from the Rockford area, filed the suit Wednesday in Winnebago County Circuit Court, records show.
The lawsuit alleges Cabello and "all citizens similarly situated are being irreparably harmed each and every day they continue to be restricted to their home and limited in their activities" under the order.
"What we want are common sense solutions to this problem and we need every voice heard- not just his," Cabello said Wednesday.
Cabello is seeking an injunction stopping Pritzker and any other state officials from enforcing the stay-at-home order or issuing any new orders, the suit says.
A spokeswoman for Pritzker slammed Cabello's lawsuit on Wednesday.
"This callous disregard for science, reason, and the value of human life will be settled by the courts," Pritzker's press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. "The governor is focused on the statewide response to COVID-19, an effort that is not just legal, but is keeping people safe and saving lives."
Cabello's lawsuit was filed days after a judge granted a temporary restraining order to another Illinois lawmaker who filed a lawsuit against Pritzker.
State Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from Xenia, Illinois, filed the suit last week claiming Pritzker exceeded his authority and violated the civil rights of the state’s residents. Pritzker on Thursday extended his stay-at-home order through May 30, with more than 48,000 confirmed cases and 2,125 deaths reported statewide as of Tuesday.
"Enough is enough!" Bailey said in a statement. "I filed this lawsuit on behalf of myself and my constituents who are ready to go back to work and resume a normal life.”
Pritzker filed an appeal Wednesday aimed at overturning the ruling by a judge in southern Illinois' Clay County, which exempts Bailey from abiding by the restrictions of the order. That ruling only applies to Bailey, but Cabello's lawsuit was filed Wednesday "on behalf of all citizens of the State of Illinois similarly situated."
"Representative Bailey’s decision to go to the courts is an insult to all Illinoisans who have been lost during this COVID-19 crisis. It’s a danger to millions of people who might get ill because of his recklessness," Pritzker said of the first lawsuit on Monday. "Disasters don’t evaporate on a 30-day timeframe. Legislators took this into account when they wrote this law. We will fight this lawsuit to the furthest means possible."
