When Mitch McConnell had his former protégé inserted into the Attorney-General's office last year, it was with the express desire to keep things running as smoothly in Kentucky as he needed for his own re-election bid in 2020. Democrat Andy Beshear knocked off the woeful Matt Bevin to become Governor, but the then 33-year-old Daniel Cameron with the absolute minimum legal experience required (he was a former lobbyist and aide to McConnell) became Attorney-General he had one mission: to make things miserable for Beshear. This week, that includes the rest of Kentucky and their health, as Cameron seeks to roll back any mandates on masks, social-distancing, business closures, and whatever else Beshear has put in place to keep Kentuckians safe.
Source: Louisville Courier Journal
Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion Wednesday to block all of Gov. Andy Beshear's past and future executive orders under the current COVID-19 state of emergency, alleging that the governor's actions are arbitrary and violate Kentuckians' constitutional rights.
The motion was filed in Boone County Circuit Court, where a judge recently issued a restraining order against Beshear's public health orders related to auto racetracks and daycare centers.
The governor on Wednesday asked the Kentucky Supreme Court to uphold his emergency public health orders in this case and a related one involving agritourism businesses in Scott County, following a ruling against his COVID-19 orders by an appellate judge Monday.
Cameron's motion seeks a temporary injunction to prohibit the governor from "issuing or enforcing any executive order or other directive" under Kentucky's state of emergency statute, calling Beshear's past orders "an arbitrary and unreasonable burden" and a direct violation of citizens' constitutional rights.
Beshear fired back at Cameron in two tweets Thursday morning, stating he had just learned of the motion that, if granted, would "void every COVID-19 rule or regulation, and prevent any future orders needed to respond to escalating cases."
Beshear lashed out this morning.
(2 of 2) With no rules, there is no chance of getting kids back to school, we will lose over $10 billion in our economy and many Kentuckians will die. I hope everyone understands how scary and reckless this is. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 16, 2020
Cameron responded a few hours later.
Judges at every level have found constitutional problems with his orders. Instead of collaborating with our office and the General Assembly to fix these issues, he’s pointing fingers.
(2/3)— Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) July 16, 2020
