Texas Gov. Abbott, AG Paxton Sued Over Stay-at-Home Order

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (Stephen Spillman/AP)

By    |   Thursday, 16 April 2020 10:43 PM EDT ET

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are being sued by a group of conservative activists and pastors for "imposing draconian, unconstitutional requirements" on Texans over the stay-at-home order, reports the Houston Chronicle.

"Once government and its constituents start operating on the basis of fear rather than facts, they are willing to take whatever medicine is prescribed, no matter how harmful the side effects may be," the suit said, according to the Chronicle. 

"Churches and small businesses are shut down, and Texans right to move about freely is restricted. For all practical purposes, the governor’s executive order constitutes a 'lock-down,'" it read.

Abbott issued an essential service order March 31 requiring anyone not considered an essential critical infrastructure worker to stay home.

He is expected to unveil his plan to reopen the economy this Friday, though he made clear it would be a "slow process."

The hardline conservative Texas House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday asked Abbott to relax his statewide order to begin reopening the state's economy.

"We respectfully ask that you loosen your state-wide executive order to the greatest extent possible while giving local jurisdictions the flexibility to respond to local jurisdictions," the letter reads.

Texas currently has 16,455 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the state's Department of Health and Human services.

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Politics
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are being sued by a group of conservative activists and pastors for "imposing draconian, unconstitutional requirements" on Texans over the stay-at-home order, reports the Houston Chronicle.
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