Gov. Wolf Gains Court Victory To Limit Pennsylvania Crowd Sizes

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday gained a court victory on his statewide limits on crowd sizes when a federal appeals court ruled the restrictions can remain while his administration appeals a Pittsburgh federal judge's ruling that the limits are unconstitutional.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the state could return to limiting gatherings to 25 people indoors and 250 people outside during the appeals process. The decision came little more than two weeks after U.S. District Judge William Stickman ruled the restrictions violated the constitutional rights of people to assemble.

There was no immediate comment from Wolf's office on the ruling.

Wolf is a Democrat. Stickman is an appointee of President Donald Trump.

Stickman ruled against Wolf and state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine in a lawsuit filed by multiple parties that included included hair salons, drive-ins and several Republican elected officials.

That ruling came two weeks after a federal judge in Philadelphia threw out a similar challenge to the business closure order. The judge said no business owner's constitutional rights were violated, because the imposed restrictions were temporary.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro asked for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals' intervention, contending that crowd-size limits saved lives and helped to slow the spread of COVID-19.

During the appeals process, Wolf has been sharply critical of Trump and Republican state lawmakers, accusing them of spreading conspiracy theories and falsehoods about the virus and the state's economic condition during the pandemic.