Oregon Supreme Court sides with governor, orders Judge Matt Shirtcliff to vacate preliminary injunction
Published 8:15 am Friday, June 12, 2020
- The sanctuary at First Christian Church in Pendleton sits empty on March 13, 2020, the day that the church announced it would be closing due to COVID-19. Upon the church’s closure, Pastor Marc Mullins said it was the first time that he has canceled church for any reason in his 41 years of ministry, including the previous 16 years he has spent at First Christian Church in Pendleton.
The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that Baker County Circuit Court Judge Matt Shirtcliff erred in his ruling last month that Gov. Kate Brown exceeded her legal authority in issuing executive orders related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The state’s highest court today issued a ruling ordering Shirtcliff to vacate his decision granting a preliminary injunction to a group of plaintiffs, including Elkhorn Baptist Church in Baker City, who sued the governor May 6.
The Supreme Court in May issued a temporary stay on Shirtcliff’s ruling, so the governor’s executive orders, which limit business activity and the size of public gatherings, among other things, have remained in effect over the past few weeks pending the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The lawsuit remains in effect, as the Supreme Court’s ruling was limited to Shirtcliff’s granting of a preliminary injunction
