A new court ruling will likely allow further loosening of restrictions for both indoor and outdoor youth sports throughout California.
According to an emailed statement, San Diego Superior Court judge Earl H. Maas III on Friday issued a temporary restraining order against Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state’s limits on youth sports. The judge ruled all indoor and outdoor sports can be played immediately in San Diego County, including women’s volleyball, basketball and other indoor sports.
The ruling won immediate praise from Let Them Play CA, a group of more than 60,000 young athletes, parents and coaches who have been pushing for the reopening of sports in California.
Attorneys with Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie filed the lawsuit on behalf of a pair of San Diego student athletes, claiming that there is no known proof that sports are a cause for COVID-19 transmission.
Judge Maas agreed with the students’ arguments that “there is no medical evidence that competing in team sports is safe for college and/or professional athletes but not high school athletes,” as he cited writings from Dr. Monica Ghandi, Professor of Medicine at UCSF.
Similar lawsuits are expected this coming week in other counties - including Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino.