The state’s highest court will hear arguments in September in a lawsuit brought against Gov. Charlie Baker challenging his authority to declare a COVID-19 state of emergency and to issue the emergency orders that have shaped life in Massachusetts for the last four months.
Justice Barbara Lenk, sitting as part of a single-justice session, ordered a lawsuit brought by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) to be transferred to the Supreme Judicial Court for arguments in September. The suit revolves around whether a governor can use the powers afforded under the Civil Defense Act to declare an emergency around public health.