Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(5/1/2020) Memorandum in Support of Motion For Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction
(5/1/2020) Memorandum in Support of Motion For Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction
P.O. Box 91
2 Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Tel: (928) 600-0954
3 mcghee.v.city.of.flagstaff.et.al@gmail.com
4 Plaintiff, in Pro Per
5
6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA
8 Joseph Martin McGhee, No. 3:20-cv-08081-GMS
9 Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND
AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF
10 vs. PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED
EMERGENCY EX PARTE
11 The City of Flagstaff; Coral Evans, Sued in MOTION FOR TEMPORARY
her Official Capacity as Mayor of the City of RESTRAINING ORDER AND
12 Flagstaff; Doug Ducey, Sued in his Official PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
Capacity as Governor of the State of Arizona,
13 Assigned to the Hon. G. Murray Snow
Defendants.
14
15
16 TABLE OF CONTENTS
17 I. ISSUES PRESENTED............................................................................................6
18 II. ARGUMENT...........................................................................................................6
19 A. Executive Order #2020-33 Is An Unlawful And
Unconstitutional Per Se Mass Quarantine. It Violates
20 The Fifth And Fourteenth Amendments To The United
States Constitution........................................................................................6
21
1. Quarantine And Due Process Rights.................................................7
22
2. Requirements Under Arizona Law For
23 Quarantine.........................................................................................9
24 a. Quarantine By Court Order....................................................9
25 b. Summary Quarantine............................................................10
22
23
17 See Shelton v. Tucker, 364 U.S. 479, 81 S.Ct. 247, 5 L.Ed.2d 231 (1960)(setting
24 forth the "least restrictive means" test and holding that even a legitimate government
"purpose cannot be pursued by means that broadly stifle fundamental personal liberties
25 when the end can be more narrowly achieved.")
18 A.R.S. §26-303(D)
26 19 A.R.S. §26-301(15) (emphasis added)
20 A.R.S. §26-303(E)
27
28
17
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 “Extreme peril” as set forth under A.R.S. § 26-301(15) is defined neither by
2 Arizona statute nor Arizona court opinion. It is not defined under any federal statute nor
3 federal court opinion. “Extreme peril” is not a term of art. It has no accepted meaning in
4 the area of law addressed by the statute21 nor any common law meaning.22 It has not been
5 borrowed or adopted from another statute.23 Its definition is therefore its ordinary
6 meaning. See FDIC v. Meyer, 510 U.S. 471, 476 (1994)(in the absence of a statutory
7 definition “we construe a statutory term in accordance with its ordinary or natural
8 meaning.”).
9 “Extreme” means “existing in a very high degree”24 and the legal definition of
10 “peril”25 is “exposure to the risk of death, destruction, or loss.” 26 For the purposes of
11 A.R.S. §§ 26-303(D) and 26-301(15), the ordinary meaning of “extreme peril” is
12 therefore “a very high degree of exposure to the risk of death.”
13 2. The COVID-19 Pandemic Does Not In Any Manner Represent “A
14 Very High Degree Of Exposure To The Risk Of Death”
15 As set forth previously herein, the most credible scientific evidence presently
16 available in fact suggests that the fear and panic gripping the world is wholly unjustified.
17
18
19
20
21 21 See Sullivan v. Stroop, 496 U.S. 478, 483 (1990) (five-Justice majority holding
that “child support” in the AFDC statute is restricted to that term’s specialized use in the
22 Child Support program under the Social Security Act)
22 See Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730, 739-40 (1989)
23 (relying on traditional common law agency principles for meaning of term “employee”).
23 See Carolene Products Co. v. United States, 323 U.S. 18, 26 (1944)(“adoption of
24 the wording of a statute from another legislative jurisdiction carries with it the previous
judicial interpretations of the wording.”)
25 24 “Extreme” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extreme, Accessed March 20, 2020.
26 25 “Peril”, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law (1996)
26 “Destruction” and “loss” clearly refer to property.
27
28
18
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 Certainly an infectious disease, where the overwhelming majority of those who are
2 infected – by some estimates more than 99.88%27 – will recover without any medical
3 intervention, cannot reasonably be characterized as a condition of “extreme peril.”
4 Covid-19 does not kill randomly and indiscriminately. Its has well-established
5 risk factors – the elderly with chronic serious health conditions. Certainly no amount of
6 hysterical fear-mongering will change the basic fact of objective reality that under not
7 even the most liberal definition of “extreme peril” could COVID-19 even remotely be
8 characterized in such a way.
9 C. The Court Should Grant Preliminary Injunctive Relief
10 The purpose of a preliminary injunction is to preserve the status quo and the
11 rights of the parties until a final judgment on the merits. See U.S. Philips Corp. v. KBC
12 Bank N.V., 590 F.3d 1091, 1094 (9th Cir. 2010).
13 A preliminary injunction should issue where a plaintiff establishes: (1) a high
14 likelihood of suffering irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief; (2) a high
15 likelihood of success on the merits; (3) that the balance of equities tips favorably towards
16 plaintiff(s); and (4) an injunction is in the public interest. See M.R. v. Dreyfus, 697 F.3d
17 706, 725 (9th Cir. 2012).
18 Alternatively, a court may grant the injunction if the plaintiff demonstrates either
19 a combination of probable success on the merits and the possibility of irreparable injury
20 or that serious questions are raised and the balance of hardships tips sharply in his favor.
21 See Winter v. Natural Res. Def. Council, 555 U.S. 7, 20 (2008).
22 1. Plaintiff Will Suffer Irreparable Injury Should Enforcement Of
23 Executive Orders #2020-33 Not Be Enjoined.
24
25
27 British Medical Journal, COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in Santa Clara
26 County, California, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v1,
Posted April 17, 2020, Accessed April 26, 2020
27
28
19
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 Irreparable injury is “harm not remediable by damages." See Sec. Pest & Termite
2 Sys. of S. Ariz., Inc. v. Reyelts, No. 1 CA-CV 14-0237 (Ariz. Ct. App. May. 14, 2015)
3 (citing Shoen v. Shoen, 167 Ariz. 58, 63 (App. 1990)); see also Hess Newmark Owens
4 Wolf, Inc. v. Owens, 415 F.3d 630, 632–34 (7th Cir.2005) (reversing district court order
5 denying injunction to enforce restrictive covenant); Wildmon v. Berwick Universal
6 Pictures, 983 F.2d 21, 24 (5th Cir. 1992). Federal circuit courts have repeatedly stated
7 that irreparable injury may be presumed in cases involving an alleged violation of a
8 constitutional right. See, e.g., Pac. Frontier v. Pleasant Grove City, 414 F.3d 1221, 1235
9 (10th Cir. 2005) (“We therefore assume that plaintiffs have suffered irreparable injury
10 when a government deprives plaintiffs of their commercial speech rights.”); see also
11 Brown v. Cal. Dep’t of Trans., 321 F.3d 1217, 1225 (9th Cir. 2003).
12 a. The Unlawful Infringement Upon A Constitutional Right Is An
13 Irreparable Harm Sufficiently Giving Rise To Injunctive Relief.
14 When a government rule, policy, or conduct is alleged to infringe upon a
15 constitutionally protected expressive right, the plaintiff can demonstrate the requisite
16 irreparable injury by showing that he and others are precluded from exercising that right.
17 Executive Order #2020-33 subjects persons to arrest for exercising their
18 constitutionally-protected right to free movement. This is an irreparable injury. See
19 Steffel v. Thompson, 415 U.S. 452, 463 n.12 (1974) (“[A] showing of irreparable injury
20 might be made in a case where . . . an individual demonstrates that he will be required to
21 forgo constitutionally protected activity in order to avoid arrest.”); United States v.
22 Bogle, 855 F.2d 707, 710–711 (11th Cir. 1988) (holding that the “unnecessary
23 deprivation of liberty clearly constitutes irreparable harm”); Cobb v. Green, 574 F.Supp.
24 256, 262 (W.D. Mich. 1983) (“There is no adequate remedy at law for a deprivation of
25 one’s physical liberty. Thus the Court finds the harm asserted by Plaintiff is substantial
26 and irreparable.”).
27
28
20
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 Plaintiff has satisfactorily demonstrated an exigency that warrants immediate
2 intervention by the Court. A temporary restraining order and preliminary injunctive relief
3 against Defendants is the now the only reasonable course of action.
4 2. Plaintiff Has Established A High Likelihood Of Success On The
5 Merits Of His Claims
6 Plaintiff has made a sufficiently-clear showing that Executive Order #2020-33
7 constitutes a violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights and has demonstrated a high
8 probability that this Order is in fact unconstitutional.
9 3. The Balance Of Equities Tips Favorably Towards Preliminary
10 Injunctive Relief
11 Should Governor Ducey be enjoined and restrained, there is no possibility for
12 potential harms to be suffered by him. There is no inherent constitutional right to
13 government protection and Governor Ducey is immune from any liability for his failure
14 to act under well-settled precedent, even if such failure was negligent. 28
15 Should the Court not grant the relief as request by Plaintiff however, immediate
16 and irreparable harm will befall him in that the infringement upon his Fifth and
17 Fourteenth Amendment rights will continue.
18 This showing alone is sufficient for the Court to grant a preliminary relief based
19 upon established U.S. Supreme Court precedent. See Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347
20 (1976).
21 4. Preliminary Relief Is In The Public Interest – It Will Serve The Public
22 Interest And Will Not Harm Govenor Ducey
23 “It is always in the public interest to prevent the violation of a party’s
24 constitutional rights.” Simms v. District of Columbia, 872 F. Supp. 2d 90, 105 (D.D.C.
25 28 See DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dep't of Social Servs., 109 S. Ct. 998, 1007
(1989) (finding no duty to protect individuals not in custody of the state); Daniels v.
26 Williams, 474 U.S. 327 (1986)(construing mere negligence as insufficient to establish
violation of due process).
27
28
21
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 2012) (quoting and citing cases). Overwhelming federal precedent treats the
2 amelioration of constitutional violations to be in the public interest. See Giovani
3 Carandola v. Bason, 303 F.3d 507, 521(4th Cir. 2002) (“[W]e agree with the district
4 court that upholding constitutional rights surely serves the public interest.”); G & V
5 Lounge v. Michigan Liquor Control Comm., 23 F.3d 1071, 1079 (6th Cir. 1994) (“[I]t is
6 always in the public interest to prevent the violation of a party’s constitutional rights.”).
7 Moreover, there is no potential harm that could befall Governor Ducey should the
8 Court grant this Motion. There is no legitimate argument for why an exception to
9 established precedent should be created this matter.
10 III. RELIEF REQUESTED
11 A. Preliminarily enjoin enforcement of Executive Order #2020-33.
12 B. Preliminarily enjoin Governor Ducey from issuing any future Executive
13 Order which is substantively the same as Executive Order #2020-33.
14 C. Preliminarily enjoin Governor Ducey from issuing any future Executive
15 Order which is a quarantine or a per se quarantine excepting under the conditions as set
16 forth under A.R.S. §§ 36-787, 36-788, and 36-789.
17 IV. CONCLUSION
18 Constitutional rights are not subject to summary disregard by government
19 officials, even during pandemics. Executive Order #2020-33 clearly violates the Fifth
20 and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution and is a per se summary
21 mass quarantine in violation of Arizona law. Plaintiff and indeed all Arizonans have now
22 suffered, and continue to be placed at risk of suffering, immediate, irreparable harm.
23 Preliminary injunctive relief is therefore reasonable, appropriate, just, and warranted,
24 and is in the public interest.
25 For all the foregoing reasons as set forth herein, Plaintiff respectfully requests that
26 the Court enter the attached Order enjoining enforcement of Executive Order #2020-33
27
28
22
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 and restraining Governor Ducey from issuing any subsequent Executive Orders which
2 are substantively the same as Executive Order #2020-033.
3
4 Dated: May 1, 2020
Respectfully Submitted,
5
6 By: /s/ Joseph M. McGhee
Plaintiff, in Pro Per
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
23
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)
1 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
2 I hereby certify that on this 1st day of May 2020, I caused the foregoing document
3 to be filed electronically with the Clerk of Court through the CM/ECF System for filing;
4 and served on counsel of record via the Court’s CM/ECF system. I further certify that
5 some of the participants in the case are not registered CM/ECF users and that I have e-
6 mailed the foregoing document to that user this same day and the document will be
7 mailed the 1st day of May 2020.
8 Michele Molinario
Derek R. Graffious
9 JONES, SKELTON & HOCHULI, P.L.C.
40 North Central Avenue, Suite 2700
10 Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Telephone: (602) 263-1700
11 Fax: (602) 200-7831
mmolinario@jshfirm.com
12 dgraffious@jshfirm.com
13 Attorneys for Defendants City of Flagstaff
and Mayor Coral Evans
14
Brett W. Johnson (#021527)
15 Colin P. Ahler (#023879)
Tracy A. Olson (#034616)
16 SNELL & WILMER L.L.P.
One Arizona Center
17 400 E. Van Buren, Suite 1900
Phoenix, Arizona 85004-2202
18 Telephone: 602.382.6000
Facsimile: 602.382.6070
19 bwjohnson@swlaw.com
cahler@swlaw.com
20
Anni L. Foster (#023643)
21 General Counsel
Office of Arizona Governor Douglas A. Ducey
22 1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
23 Telephone: 602-542-4331
afoster@az.gov
24
Attorneys for Defendant Douglas A. Ducey,
25 Governor of the State of Arizona
26
/s/ Joseph M. McGhee
27
28
24
Memorandum Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiff’s Amended Emergency Ex Parte
Motion For Temporary Restraining Order And Preliminary Injunction
(3:20-cv-08081-GMS)