Will King Inslee’s reign over Washington businesses come to an end?

Matthew Hayward
October 29, 2020

A lawsuit and motion for preliminary injunction filed on Oct. 1 by five Skamania County business owners challenging Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s lingering COVID-19 restrictions will be heard and decided in part, tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 30, at 11:00.

On July 7, Inslee issued a proclamation requiring all Washington businesses to refuse service to customers not wearing a mask. Meanwhile, only one resident in Skamania County has died with the virus present and there are currently only five active cases.

If you’re interested in watching the proceedings, you can tune into the Skamania County Youtube channel here, or visit their homepage here.

The state is asking the court to consider a venue change to Thurston County. We’re hoping the judge will keep the case in the county the lawsuit is filed in and related to.

Why would the state want to force the case to be moved into a county with 33 times more fatalities from COVID-19 and 96 percent more cases?

Freedom Foundation attorneys, on behalf of Plaintiffs, have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. This means they’re asking the court to grant immediate relief because the violation of the Plaintiffs’ rights is clear even at this early stage in the litigation.

If the Plaintiffs are successful tomorrow, businesses in Skamania County will be free of the burdensome unnecessary and unjustified restrictions and regulation imposed by the state until the conclusion of the litigation, or until such a time as a judge rules otherwise.

See press release from lawsuit filing: Press Release

- COVID-19, Washington

Matthew Hayward

National Outreach Director

Before joining the Freedom Foundation, Matthew worked as supervisor at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, where he coordinated efforts between federal and state agencies, tribes, and volunteer organizations in the Puget Sound. Grassroots politics has provided Matthew with many unique and sometimes controversial experiences. These experiences range from successfully building coalitions between different factions to training and organizing volunteers to maximize their effectiveness. Matthew’s passion for freedom to educate citizens about their Constitutional rights is strong and unwavering. “I not only measure success by results, bu t by the integrity of the action taken to achieve the result.” —Matthew H.