Yesterday, we reported [1] that Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino was defiantly refusing to enforce New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s strict Thanksgiving coronavirus ban. Now, three more sheriffs have joined him in refusing to enforce the Democrat’s ban as well.
“With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents,” Giardino wrote in a Facebook post [2] that has quickly gone viral.
“Frankly, I am not sure it could sustain a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle. And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn’t in good faith attempt to defend it Court, so I won’t,” he added. “Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business, unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur.”
In the wake of Giardino’s post going viral, three other sheriffs have joined him. One of them is Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo, who said that he will not be enforcing Cuomo’s orders over Thanksgiving.
“I can’t see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens’ driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they’ve purchased is for the public good,” Zurlo said in a statement obtained by the New York Post. [3]
Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy and Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard announced that they will be ignoring Cuomo’s Thanksgiving restrictions as well.
This came after Cuomo announced that gatherings in private homes had to be limited to ten people at most during the Thanksgiving holiday. This did not sit well with Giardino, who accused Cuomo of “scaring the hell out of people.”
“People have common sense. They are not going to jeopardize family members. They are not going to jeopardize close friends. Most people respect the masks,” Giardino told the Albany Times Union [4]. “Basically, as a lawyer, former DA and judge, if I got brought into court, I can’t justify it constitutionally. The threat is not so great that we should be limiting who they can have for Thanksgiving.”
Cuomo adviser Richard Azzopardi responded to knows of these sheriffs refusing to enforce the governor’s order by saying, “We urge everyone to continue to be smart and act responsibly. We know this makes people unhappy, but better unhappy than sick or worse.”
This piece was written by James Samson on November 17, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette [5] and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
OPINION: It’s Over. President Says Biden “Won.” [6]
Justice Alito Sounds An Alarm Over Biden And PC [7]
Lindsey Graham Hits Back After Dem Sen. Dianne Feinstein Demanded No More Hearings For Trump’s Judicial Nominees [8]