A panel of judges listened to arguments related to an appeal of a Butler County case against state officials.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit heard arguments in an appeal by the defendants of Butler County's lawsuit calling the state's use of orders to force businesses to close and stay at home. Those defendants primarily included Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Alison Beam.

In September, U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV agreed with the plaintiffs' claim that Gov. Tom Wolf's business shutdown and stay-at-home orders violated certain constitutional rights.

J. Bart DeLone from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office argued on behalf of the appellant that the point made by the decision is now moot, since the orders in question ended on their own accord.

“There's no active case or controversy left,” DeLone said.

Attorney Thomas W. King III, representing Butler County, among other plaintiffs, said the position of Secretary of Health still holds the power to enact the same orders.

“We do not want these (orders) ever to be repeated in Pennsylvania,” King said.