Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

6 hours ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

7 hours ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

11 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

11 hours ago

Israel Strikes Pound Gaza, Killing 60, Ahead of US Talks on Ceasefire

12 hours ago

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

13 hours ago

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

3 days ago
Fresno 'Ghost Golf' Drives Case Against Newsom in Court
Randy-Reed-Image
By Randy Reed, Operations Manager
Published 4 years ago on
August 7, 2021

Share

A Fresno mini-golf attraction is front and center in a continuing legal battle that claims Gov. Gavin Newsom overstepped his authority by issuing COVID emergency orders that shut down many businesses and limited occupancy in others.

On Thursday, attorneys working on behalf of the owner of Ghost Golf argued their case to a trio of justices with the California 5th District Court of Appeal based in Fresno, according to a report by The Center Square.

Ghost Golf Center Challenges Newsom’s Orders

Ghost Golf, a haunted house themed indoor golf venue on Blackstone Avenue, originally filed suit against Newsom in October 2020. The suit argued the governor’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” violated the state’s separation of powers and should have been enacted through legislation rather than executive action.

“It is the Legislature’s job to weigh the competing public health safety and economic concern and social concern,” said Luke Wake, a staff attorney for Pacific Legal Foundation. “It is not the role of the executive to decide which businesses will be allowed to be open and under what conditions,” Wake said in his comments to the court.

PLF filed the suit on behalf of Ghost Golf’s owner. A lower court previously sided with Newsom, saying state law allowed him to take the steps he did without the involvement of state lawmakers.

The state reiterated its position that the urgent nature of the pandemic was consistent with the governor’s emergency authority, which is designed to provide “the tools necessary to address emergencies that the Legislature may not be able to foresee,” said attorney Aaron Jones, representing Newsom’s administration.

State Argues Appeal Lacks Merit

Jones also argued that Ghost Golf’s appeal is without merit because similar business restrictions are unlikely going forward because of widespread vaccine availability, according to The Center Square report.

But Appellate Justice Mark Snauffer pushed back on Jones’ position, pointing to rising COVID infection rates in the state resulting from the delta variant and the possibility of continuing outbreaks from future virus mutations.

The justices will now deliberate among themselves. There was no timeline given for a decision.

“We asked the Court today to enjoin the executive branch from making law – which is the exclusive purview of the Legislature,” Wake said after the hearing. “Our argument is simple: it is the role of the Legislature, not the governor or California Department of Public Health, to make major social and economic policy decisions, and that the Legislature cannot write a blank check to the executive branch to make all the rules.”

Newsom’s spokesperson declined to comment on the hearing, according to the news report.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

DON'T MISS

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

DON'T MISS

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

DON'T MISS

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

DON'T MISS

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

DON'T MISS

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

DON'T MISS

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

DON'T MISS

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

DON'T MISS

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

UP NEXT

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

UP NEXT

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

UP NEXT

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

UP NEXT

Fresno Fire Destroys Home Under Construction, Displaces Six

UP NEXT

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Anthony Michael Caldwell

UP NEXT

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

5 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

5 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

5 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

5 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

5 hours ago

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

5 hours ago

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

5 hours ago

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

5 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

6 hours ago

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

6 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

The Clovis Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating an at-risk missing adult last seen on Thursday. Pathmani Goonawarde...

3 hours ago

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
3 hours ago

Clovis Police Seek Public’s Help in Finding Missing 82-Year-Old Woman

fresno
4 hours ago

Fresno Woman Killed in Head-On Collision, CHP Investigating

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

5 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

Bryan Koberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, listens during a hearing to overturn his grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., October 26, 2023. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

The Blanca Fire, burning 12 acres northwest of Lake Madera Country Estates in Madera County, remains active with 0% containment and no reported injuries or structural damage as the cause is under investigation as of Monday, June 30, 2025. (CalFire)
5 hours ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, Now 100% Contained

Fresno County CHP arrested two on Interstate 5 after finding about one kilogram of suspected cocaine, a loaded ghost gun, and counterfeit money during a vehicle search on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (CHP)
5 hours ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

Gov. Newsom warns Californians to celebrate the Fourth of July safely, emphasizing zero tolerance for illegal fireworks which have surged to over 600,000 pounds seized this year. (Shutterstock)
5 hours ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend