This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
On July 17, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp filed a lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, alleging that she does not have the authority to require stricter public health measures than the state.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Fulton County court, claims that Bottoms' executive orders issued last week are ultra vires, or not allowed, as they exceed the powers granted to the city by the state.
"The City of Atlanta may only exercise powers granted to it by the state, and Mayor Bottoms' attempts to exercise an undelegated power against the state are ultra vires," the suit says.
Bottoms has framed the disagreement as a public health policy dispute, while state authorities have said they are focused on the technicalities of their parallel mandates.
Public health officials have for months urged face coverings as a means to limit the outbreak, with studies highlighting that even cloth masks can reduce oral particle dispersion between 50 and 100 percent.
States such as Alabama, California, Texas, and Colorado have instituted state-wide mask mandates to try to curb surging infection rates.
