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Judge poses authority issue in lawsuit on closed Vegas bars

Posted at 6:56 AM, Aug 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-14 09:56:13-04

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge says she wants proof she would have the authority to order the governor to rescind a coronavirus pandemic directive and let Las Vegas-area bars and taverns reopen.

PREVIOUS STORY: Las Vegas bar employees protest against pandemic closures

Judge Kerry Earley in Las Vegas made no immediate ruling Thursday after hearing arguments on a bid to force Gov. Steve Sisolak to lift a bar closure order he re-imposed July 27.

The state's attorney says there's no precedent for the court to act. A lawyer for shuttered bars conceded the Democratic governor had the emergency power to impose closures. But he argued the governor should reconsider because businesses are dying.