August 27, 2020 | By John Daley | CPRnews |
“Colorado’s highest court Friday declined to hear a court challenge from a powerful Republican state lawmaker and conservative media figure who sued the governor over local public health orders.
Patrick Neville, the House minority leader, and Michelle Malkin, a conservative activist who lives in El Paso County, sued Gov. Jared Polis and local public health agencies over orders related to the pandemic and put in place since March.
That includes Polis’ executive order last month requiring residents to wear face masks in public. Court spokesman Rob McCallum posted on Twitter that the court declined to take the case, without explanation.
A spokesman for Neville’s office said, “We’re disappointed, but we’re moving on to the district court level.”
In a press release sent out just before the suit was filed, Neville said Polis’ executive orders have been “devastating” to the people of Colorado.”
“In A Free Society, Such As America Was Meant To Be, Masks Cannot Be Forced Upon The Citizens.”