The Department of Justice moved to intervene in an Illinois lawsuit challenging the state’s right to extend COVID-19 lockdowns.
The agency filed a statement of interest Friday on behalf of the complaint by state Rep. Darren Bailey, who says lockdowns imposed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker have gone too far. State law allows lockdowns to go for 30 days.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor of Illinois has, over the past two months, sought to rely on authority under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act to impose sweeping limitations on nearly all aspects of life for citizens of Illinois, significantly impairing in some instances their ability to maintain their economic livelihoods,” the agency said in a statement obtained by Fox News.
“According to the lawsuit, the Governor’s actions are not authorized by state law, as they extend beyond the 30-day time period imposed by the Illinois legislature for the Governor’s exercise of emergency powers granted under the Act,” the statement continued.
Months of lockdown around the United States has succeeded in flattening the curve of the deadly pandemic, which has suffered the highest death toll of any nation, with more than 1.6 million infections reported and more than 96,000 deaths.