IL GOP Sues Pritzker For Banning In-Person Political Party Gatherings

By Benjamin Cox on June 16, 2020 at 5:46am

Governor J.B. Pritzker is being sued again for his Restore Illinois plan that limits restrictions on in-person gatherings. The Chicago Tribune reports the GOP contends in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s limit on in-person gatherings to battle the coronavirus curtails people’s First Amendment rights. The GOP wants the court to exempt political parties from the cap on gatherings and seeks permission to hold meetings without size restrictions during the time leading up to the November election.

The governor’s office has not immediately commented on the latest challenge. Pritzker said Monday in a gathering in Belleville that he has taken slow steps in his Restore Illinois to limit further spread of the coronavirus. Illinois Republicans held a virtual state convention Saturday to comply with the governor’s executive order. Republicans criticized Pritzker last week for attending a June 8 march in Matteson to protest the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans at the hands of police. Pritzker defended his decision to attend the march saying that he wasn’t going to look the other way when it came to equal rights and demanding police reform.