Baker County judge told vacate or explain order nixing Oregon governor's coronavirus restrictions

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Supreme Court is giving a rural judge until Tuesday to toss out his ruling that found the governor's coronavirus restrictions are invalid. 

If Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff declines to vacate the order, he must explain why. He must also give the state and churches who sued over the stay-at-home directives an opportunity to make further arguments. 

Shirtcliff ruled that Gov. Kate Brown exceeded her authority when she shut down in-person religious services. 

He said she should have sought the Legislature's approval to extend the stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit. 

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Facts not fear: More on coronavirus

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At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage and the latest COVID-19 case numbers, visit our coronavirus section here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus  

Coronavirus resources:

• Interactive map and timeline tracking Idaho COVID-19 cases
• What's an 'essential' business under the Idaho stay-home order? Gov. Little answers your questions
• Coronavirus resources: Testing sites, at-risk grocery hours in the Treasure Valley
• List of employers hiring during the coronavirus pandemic
• How to help southern Idaho nonprofits or get help during the coronavirus pandemic

Closures:

• Closures: List of venues, sporting events, and public buildings closed or canceled due to coronavirus concerns
• List of schools and universities that cancel class in Idaho due to the coronavirus