September 15th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf angrily pledged to appeal a federal court ruling that declared much of his mitigation strategy to limit the spread of coronavirus unconstitutional and blasted Republicans at the state and national level who’ve been critical of his actions and cheered the ruling. “Yesterday Harrisburg Republicans celebrated while thousands and thousands in our state continue to suffer,” Wolf said. “The president could do nothing more than stare at his phone and tweet.”

U.S. District Court Judge Wlliam Stickman ruled Monday that Wolf’s limits on crowd sizes of 25 people indoors and 250 people outdoors violate the First Amendment, and that the state’s move to close non-essential business was a violation of the 14th Amendment.

Stickman noted that the state’s initial actions were aimed at “flattening the curve” but that as the months have dragged on, the state’s emergency actions have continued without any explanation for when they might end.

Wolf, speaking at a press conference in York, said that the judge’s decision failed to give the state credit for having taken actions that saved lives and prevented Pennsylvania from seeing as much loss of life as neighboring states like New Jersey and New York.