A Delicate Balance: Liberty & Security in National Crises

The past year has introduced many “firsts”: mask mandates, virtual schooling, shuttered businesses, and more. It will likely be years before we truly understand the total benefits—and the human and economic costs—of government responses to the coronavirus. 

Emergencies—like a global pandemic—can certainly justify emergency actions. But as the lockdowns for COVID-19 drag on, governors have continued to operate in “emergency” mode without approval from the people’s elected representatives.

An emergency is just that—emergent—and requires an immediate response. Emergency powers, limited in scope and in time, are appropriate for a governor to possess. But the COVID-19 pandemic, at this point, is a chronic problem that is amenable to normal legislative deliberations.  

Is it time to say “no thanks” to quarantine mandates and other emergency action? Join Pacific Legal Foundation and our friends for an honest conversation on the role of government in crisis—and the potential pitfalls of overzealous government action.