Governor Laura Kelly from Democratic Party won the ruling from the state Supreme Court of Kansas that allows her to limit religious gatherings to 10 people in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the state. The court came to the conclusion that a panel of legislative leaders from the Republican Party overstepped its authority to overturn Kelly's executive order.
As the number of reported cases in Kansas continues to climb, Kelly issued the executive order prohibiting mass gathering on Tuesday. Legislative Coordinating Council or LCC decided to revoke against the order on Wednesday. The governor filed the petition at court against the panel's action on Thursday and court ruled in favour of Laura Kelly on Saturday night, one day before Easter.
Laura Kelly took on Twitter to show her gratitude towards the decision of the court by writing, "I want to thank the Supreme Court for its expedited review under difficult circumstances. Our response to this unprecedented pandemic has necessitated that even our most fundamental institutions find alternative methods that preserve public health."
How would the Governor enforce the order is still doubtful
It is still doubtful how Kelly would be able to enforce the order as state Attorney General Derek Schmidt advised law enforcement agencies not to arrest or charge anyone who violates the order. The court ruled out that legislative action that was designed to overrule Kelly's executive order did not accomplish to prove that her order has a flaw.
A legislative panel is composed of State House and Senate members. It includes the top four House leaders and top three Senate leaders. Five of the seven members in the Legislative Coordinating Council are Republicans.
Kelly needs broad powers to battle against coronavirus, the attorney representing the governor's office argued in hearing on Saturday. Both the sides accused each other of politicizing the order passed by the governor and the issue needs more balanced thoughts. Kansas have reported 1,286 cases confirmed and 55 deaths due to coronavirus so far. Meanwhile, in-person Easter service has already been cancelled by most of the churches in the state.
