Governor murphy: i'm going to sue asbury park for violating executive order

Governor Murphy: I’m Going to Sue Asbury Park for Violating Executive Order

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1 min read
June 12, 2020

ASBURY PARK, NJ – Governor Phil Murphy today said he is suing the City of Asbury Park, New Jersey after the mayor and council announced plans to open indoor dining under the guidelines set forth by the Center for Disease Control.  Just days ago, Murphy said it is up to the local municipalities and cities to enforce his overreaching executive orders.  Today, Murphy backtracked from that position, stating he is going to go after Asbury Park for not enforcing his laws.

“We’ve tried to work with the governing body of Asbury Park to resolve the issue of indoor dining. Because they haven’t done so, New Jersey OAG will bring a lawsuit today against the city government of Asbury Park,” Murphy said. “Our rules are based on one principle – ensuring public health.”

For almost a month, we’ve been waiting for the first municipal or city governing body in New Jersey to have a set big enough to challenge Governor Phil Murphy’s unconstitutional business shut down.   We honestly thought the move would come in the highly red-driven Ocean County County towns, but according to the Coaster Online, an authentically local Asbury Park newspaper website, Asbury Park just laid down the law first.

According to the Coaster, city officials said they are letting their restaurants and bars reopen with indoor dining starting the 15th of June. Guess what New Jersey, you’ve all been played.  This has always been a local enforcement issue.  Murphy’s people behind the scenes, according to our sources have been leaning heavily on local county prosecutors and police departments to enforce his laws, but like he said at Tuesday’s press conference, this is a local enforcement issue.

We can only hope more municipalities and cities across the state follow the lead of Asbury Park and start taking back their home rule, which is guaranteed in the New Jersey constitution.  The stay at home order has been lifted.  Murphy screwed himself after attending this weekend’s rallies, so it’s game over for Murphy.  If your town leaders don’t follow suit, guess what, elect new town leaders in the next election.

Now, the decision will be left for the courts to decide.

Photo by Shawn Ang on Unsplash

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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