The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition by several Butler County politicians and businesses to hear a case regarding the state's COVID-19 restrictions, leaving in place a federal appeals court's decision that the case was moot.

The court deciding not to hear the case means, despite nearly two years of litigation, there will likely be no determination as to whether Gov. Tom Wolf's COVID-19 mitigation orders violated the Constitution.

Only about 1% of cases appealed to the Supreme Court are granted certiorari, according to Tom King, the Butler attorney representing the plaintiffs. Four of the nine justices must agree to hear a case for it to end up on the court's docket.

"It's disappointing, but it's not surprising,“ King said.

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