Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL) argues governments around the country are violating the U.S. Constitution with shutdown orders, some of which have been in place for nearly two months.
According to the Alabama Republican, although some shutdowns were reasonable initially, over time, governments around the country have violated the U.S. Consitution. He said that was backed up by courts striking down shutdown orders.
“Let me be real clear: I understand the shutdown when the crisis first began in March in a significant way,” he said. “That was to give us time to get a handle on things, for us to understand it well enough so we could make informed decisions. The Democrats, however, have persevered with their shutdowns beyond that. And the big issue when you start to talk about freedom and liberty is the constitutional aspect of it. We’ve got provisions in the United States Constitution. We’ve got provisions in the Bill of Rights designed to protect individual rights of individual citizens, where the government is subservient to you and to me and to every other citizen that hears our voices.”
“Well, what you’re seeing are some of the judicial decisions that are slapping these governors down,” Brooks continued. “Today, you’ve got another judge ruling Oregon’s governor’s shutdown order is now illegal. In Wisconsin, you had a ruling that it’s unconstitutional. As citizens start to wake up with these slaps in the face about the liberty and freedom that they’ve lost, coupled with the recognition that what state has done, or cities have done, are unconstitutional and illegal deprivations of life, liberty and property — that’s when I think you’re going to see the bell go off, the light bulb shine and people starting to figure out, ‘Hey, this is wrong, and this is bad and worse than wrong and bad it is illegal and unconstitutional.’ And we need to fight for our rights.”
Brooks recounted an instance in his home state in Alabama where a lawyer was considering a First Amendment challenge to the state’s Republican governor, Kay Ivey. Ivey has since relaxed those restrictions, but Brooks said there were still other places around the United States where a challenge would be in order.
He pledged his appreciation to those challenging the shutdown orders in violation of freedoms and liberties and reminded listeners so many fought and died for those freedoms and liberties.
“You are starting to see more and more people and entities around the country figure out that they have recourse,” Brooks added. “They’re not hostage to [Bill] de Blasio in New York City or [Andrew] Cuomo in New York State. Rather, they have the ability to fight for their freedoms and fight for their liberty in court. And you are starting to see, and even to this day, you are seeing a huge turnaround in the way the public is reacting to this as they recognize a lot these shutdowns have been illegal and unconstitutional. And I thankful for those who have asserted our rights that so many of our ancestors fought for and often lost their lives for. That’s what’s at stake with this kind of dictatorial government that we’re seeing around our country. Let citizens decide. Give them the information they need. That’s a role that government can adequately play. But let citizens decide how to best exercise their freedom and their liberty, recognizing that some are going to make bad decisions. But you know what? I trust most citizens to make good decisions.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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