The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on Monday that a federal judge in Pittsburgh ruled that orders issued by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf restricting the size of gatherings and closing nonessential businesses to protect against the spread of covid-19 were unconstitutional. According to the article:
“U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV wrote in his 66-page opinion that, even though the actions taken in the spring by Wolf and Health Secretary Rachel Levine were laudable, they violated the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly, and the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment.”
The complaint resulting in this decision was filed by four counties in Western Pennsylvania. It argued that the governor’s executive orders limiting the size of gatherings and the stay-at-home order and the closure of non-life-sustaining businesses were unconstitutional.
Some people within the Pennsylvania hockey and skating communities believe that restrictions on the use of indoor ice arenas in Pennsylvania, which have limited occupancy to 25 persons at a time, have been invalidated by this ruling. It is not clear to RinkAtlas at this time what the state regulations are for total occupancy. The Trib reported that Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokeswoman for Governor Wolf “noted Monday’s order does not apply to the mandatory mask order or the mandatory work-from-home order previously implemented and still in effect.”
The Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association, the USA Hockey affiliate for Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware has created a grassroots lobbying effort known as Let Hockey Play, calling on its members to contact their legislators to urge lifting restrictions on number of participants in hockey games and practices. This lobbying effort predates Judge Stickman’s decision.