Students sue N.J. over canceling graduation. A judge will hear their case.

NJ.com ^ | 5/21/2020 | Steve Strunsky

[usafa92]

A state judge set a May 29 hearing date for arguments over whether Gov. Phil Murphy acted properly in barring high school graduation ceremonies and deciding which businesses were essential and therefore could operate during the coronavirus outbreak.

An order to show cause issued Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Francis Hodgen in Ocean County stems from a joint lawsuit filed last week by several businesses and individuals in Toms River opposed to executive orders issued by Murphy in his attempt to contain the spread of the deadly virus, including E.O. 103 on March 9, declaring a state of emergency.

The suit was filed by attorney Michael Deem, a Toms River resident whose son is also graduating from High School East but is not a plaintiff. Deem said he anticipates a decision by the judge on the day of the hearing.

The plaintiffs include a stand-alone car wash and a hair & nail salon, whose owners believe their businesses have been arbitrarily prevented from operating during the pandemic by being deemed non-essential.

In the case of Car Wash and Beyond, on Route 9, the suit charges that the business has been unfairly and arbitrarily closed since mid-March under a Murphy shut-down order, while car washes attached to gas stations have been permitted to go on operating because the gas-pumping side of their business has been deemed essential for transportation.

[usafa92]

Headline is misleading. This lawsuit goes well beyond HS seniors suing. That said, I believe Hodgen is a Corzine appointee so don’t expect much. The Superintendent of the NJSP is also being sued. Callahan used to be a good trooper, but now he’s Murphy’s bit*h and anreal Himmler wannabe. At least good to see residents here getting fed up.

[pfflier]

I wouldn’t make a fluff item such as graduation my stake in the sand. More important services like medical appointments and dental care are still being restricted.

[Tunehead54]

Slightly off topic but I’ve not seen a single story where colleges and universities are refunding tuition, dorm costs or cafeteria cards to students forced off campus.

I’m shocked, of course. They were probably all busy filing for CV-19 fed grants and emergency funding.

So that probably explains things.

[pepsi_junkie]

The headline is about graduations. The content is not. The suit is about way more than that.

The plaintiffs include a stand-alone car wash and a hair & nail salon, whose owners believe their businesses have been arbitrarily prevented from operating during the pandemic by being deemed non-essential. In the case of Car Wash and Beyond, on Route 9, the suit charges that the business has been unfairly and arbitrarily closed since mid-March under a Murphy shut-down order, while car washes attached to gas stations have been permitted to go on operating because the gas-pumping side of their business has been deemed essential for transportation.

[usafa92]

Exactly. The Ministry of Truth over at NJ.com trying to trivialize the case by making it about graduations only in the headline.