High court to decide GOP lawsuit on shutdown order
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Wednesday granted the Democratic governor’s request and took over a lawsuit by legislative Republicans that could end his pandemic shutdown order.
The Supreme Court announced it will decide the case filed by Senate Republicans, seeking to enforce a resolution that both chambers passed last week to end the state of disaster emergency imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf in March.
The case had been filed in Commonwealth Court, where Republicans hold a majority of the seats, but Democrats have a 5-2 edge on the Supreme Court.
Asked about the Supreme Court taking up the matter, Wolf said at a news conference later Wednesday: “I applaud that.”
The order said justices will decide the case based on filings that have been made in both courts and that they will “address the merits of the petitioner’s application in due course.”
The high court announcement came one day after Commonwealth Court had scheduled oral argument for June 29.
