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Connecticut Judge: Lamont COVID Orders Need Assembly Approval

The Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford
MaxVT
/
Flickr
The Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford

A Superior Court judge said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s COVID-19 emergency orders need the General Assembly’s approval — even if they were the right thing to do.

Lamont has issued dozens of executive orders tied to the pandemic — like closing bars and restaurants, limiting their capacity and requiring masks in schools. The case was brought by activists who wanted to overturn the state’s mask mandate.

Superior Court judge Thomas Moukawsher called Lamont’s orders the rationally right thing done in the legally wrong way. And he said they opened the door for future governors to declare nearly any public issue an emergency so they could govern by executive order.

Moukawsher said the state Supreme Court needs to decide if any action needs to be taken. Attorney General William Tong’s office said there’s no plan to appeal, since the question of the governor’s authority during the pandemic is already before the state Supreme Court.

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.