Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday over her mandate requiring people within her city to wear face masks in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The mayor also banned gatherings of more than 10 people, but Mr. Kemp said she does not have the authority to make such orders.
In a state court filing, the governor said the “chief executive powers” in Georgia rest with him. He noted his latest executive order related to the coronavirus pandemic suggests people wear face masks — but does not mandate them to do so. He also said gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted.
“Local governments, such as the City of Atlanta, do not have the ability or authority to regulate and control the State of Georgia,” the legal complaint read. “Mayor Bottoms does not have the legal authority to modify change or ignore Governor Kemp’s executive orders.”
He’s asking the court to block Ms. Bottoms from issuing further COVID-19 orders that conflict with the governor and he wants the court to declare she exceeded her authority.
Ms. Bottoms, though, told reporters she is ready for a legal battle.”I am not afraid of the city being sued and I’ll put our policies up against anyone’s, any day of the week,” said Ms. Bottoms, noting her order remains in effect.She also took to Twitter to slam the lawsuit as a wasteful distraction.
She tweeted: “3104 Georgians have died and I and my family are amongst the 106k who have tested positive for COVID-19 … a better use of tax payer money would be to expand testing and contact tracing.”
According to the Associated Press, 15 Georgia counties and cities were ordering people to wear face masks.
“How can we take care of our local needs when our state ties our hands behind our back and then says ’Ignore the advice of experts?’” questioned Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.
More than two dozen states and the District of Columbia mandate face coverings.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.