Louisiana bar closures constitutional, says federal judge

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A federal judge in New Orleans today ruled that Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' order closing bars during the coronavirus pandemic is legal and does not violate the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman's ruling comes as the governor himself testified in defense of his order in a separate but similar lawsuit filed in Lafayette.

"The evidence adduced at the injunction hearing compels the Court to conclude that the Governor’s ban of on-site consumption at bars has a 'real or substantial relation' to slowing the spread of COVID-19," Feldman wrote in his ruling. 

Gov. Edwards says the state's declining coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations over the last few weeks show the measures are working.

I am pleased that Judge Feldman upheld bar restrictions, which is one of the critical mitigation measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana. The evidence is clear that the restrictions are working. https://t.co/Tkx7DSDZLA #lagov #lalege

— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 17, 2020