FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron have filed opposing briefs ahead of an upcoming legal showdown focused on the governor’s COVID-19 emergency orders.
News outlets report that the briefs were submitted to the Kentucky Supreme Court on Friday.
The state’s highest court has scheduled arguments for Sept. 17 in the case pitting the Democratic governor against the Republican attorney general, Daniel Cameron. Cameron contends the governor overstepped his constitutional authority with the orders.
In July, the state Supreme Court stepped into the dispute by halting attempts to block Beshear’s executive actions pending its own review.
According to Beshear’s legal team, the governor’s emergency orders are not only legal but also have “saved thousands of lives” during the pandemic.
Beshear has ordered that most Kentuckians wear masks in public for another 30 days. That order and others by Beshear are being challenged by Cameron.
“The Governor – above all else – has a constitutional duty to protect the public safety and welfare of all Kentuckians from this emerging and deadly disease,” the brief states.
Meanwhile, Cameron argues that the Democratic governor “simply does not have the authority to act as a one-man legislature, even during a pandemic.”
“This declaration touched off a dizzying cavalcade of orders, guidance memoranda, and regulations that impacted or controlled nearly every aspect of Kentuckians’ lives,” the attorney general’s brief reads.
While most people who contract the coronavirus recover after suffering only mild to moderate symptoms, it can be deadly for older patients and those with other health problems.
