In March 2020, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker placed strict limits on gatherings of greater than 10 individuals due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even when Illinois enters Phase 4 of its reopening plan, crowd sizes remained limited to 50 people.
Although the rate of new COVID-19 cases in Illinois continued to drop, Pritzker said that limits on gatherings would remain in place until a “vaccine or an effective treatment” was found. Meanwhile, the governor marched in and endorsed the speech of other advocacy groups who held large-scale rallies during that time.
The issues Illinois Right to Life works on are deeply personal. They are not easily discussed over the internet; in-person, human-to-human interactions are the best ways for the organization to compassionately share its views. But the governor’s executive order prohibited Illinois Right to Life from hosting in-person events and activities. Rallies, workshops, fundraisers and educational programs were rendered impossible. The governor’s restrictions stifled Illinois Right to Life’s ability to share their message with the public.
Illinois Right to Life v. Pritzker centered on the governor’s willingness to excuse certain organizations and First Amendment expressions from the limits in his executive orders, but not the rest of Illinois – including Illinois Right to Life.
Illinois Right to Life v. Pritzker was part of a series of lawsuits filed by Liberty Justice Center attorneys against Gov. Pritzker over constitutional violations during the coronavirus pandemic. First, Liberty Justice Center attorneys represented Salem Media and journalist Amy Jacobson in Salem Media v. Pritzker after the governor banned Jacobson from press briefings. In a victory for First Amendment rights, the governor’s office reversed its decision and reinstated Jacobson’s press credentials. In a second case, the Liberty Justice Center represents the Illinois Republican Party in a challenge on the governor’s ban on gatherings.
The Liberty Justice Center filed Illinois Right to Life v. Pritzker on June 23, 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Following the lift of Covid-19 restrictions in the months following the filing, the case was dismissed as moot.
Jeffrey M. Schwab serves as Senior Counsel and Interim Director of Litigation at the Liberty Justice Center, where he litigates cases to protect the rights to free speech, economic liberty, private property and other Constitutional rights in both federal and state courts across the country.
(The Chicago Tribune)—An Illinois anti-abortion organization alleges in a federal lawsuit that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has unconstitutionally allowed certain groups to disregard the state’s limits on the number of people who can gather together while holding other groups to a different standard. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago late Tuesday by...
(WSIL)—Illinois Right to Life is the latest organization to file a lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker. The pro-life group is demanding equal treatment for large gatherings. Similar to a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Republican Party, Illinois Right to Life says members should have the same opportunity to hold events...
No results found right now, please visit our newsroom.