Court tosses ruling against Pennsylvania COVID-19 measures
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and CLAUDIA LAUER Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court has dismissed a judge’s ruling that threw out Gov. Tom Wolf’s sweeping COVID-19 restrictions. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the issue is now moot because statewide mitigation measures have expired and Pennsylvania voters have since constrained a governor’s emergency powers. The Philadelphia-based appeals court ruled that since Wolf’s stay-at-home order, limits on crowd size and business closures are no longer in effect, there is “no relief that this court can grant.” Wednesday’s order instructed U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV to vacate his ruling that Wolf’s pandemic restrictions were unconstitutional.