Muller v. Newsom
Case Overview
The Center for American Liberty (@Liberty_Ctr), in coordination with the Dhillon Law Group (@dhillonlaw) and Essayli & Brown LLP (@BillEssayli) and on behalf of plaintiffs Joseph Muller, Laura Ferguson, and Gregory Raths, filed an emergency application for writ of mandamus in California superior court against Governor Gavin Newsom and others to reopen Orange County’s beaches.
Governor Newsom ordered the closure of all public beaches in Orange County during an April 30 press conference, effective on May 1. The writ argues that Newsom does not have the power to do so and is prohibited by the Constitutions of California and The United States.
“Governor Newsom’s increasingly arbitrary—and in this case retaliatory—public decrees are piling up,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Liberty, Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban). “This time, he violates the state constitutional right to access the beaches, as well as the rights to travel and assemble, and did so with zero factual or scientific basis, only a desire to punish a county whose trope toward freedom he views as out of step with his unilateral orders.”
“Orange County residents have been very outspoken about their opposition to the Governor’s overreaches regarding COVID19 nearly two months into this situation, and his increasing disregard for Californians’ civil liberties. Banning people from beaches doesn’t advance public health; it advances only the Governor’s ego,” Dhillon said. “Governor Newsom is not above the law, and he does not own the beaches — the people do. It is time for the Governor to check his privilege and the Constitution before issuing further irrational orders from Sacramento.”
