Press Release

Attorney General Ellison: Extension of peacetime emergency protects Minnesotans’ lives and ability to afford their lives

April 13, 2020 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today issued the following statement in support of Governor Walz’s Executive Order 20-35 extending the COVID-19 peacetime emergency:

“As a member of the Executive Council, I support Governor Walz’s executive order extending the COVID-19 peacetime emergency and will vote to ratify it at the Executive Council meeting today. The order is necessary to protect public health, public safety, and Minnesotans’ lives during this extraordinary time. Extending the peacetime emergency will also extend the prohibitions on price-gouging and evictions that my office is enforcing, which help protect Minnesotans’ ability to afford their lives during the emergency.

“As Attorney General and Minnesota’s chief legal officer, this executive order is a legal, constitutional, and prudent use of the Governor’s emergency powers to protect the people of Minnesota during the pandemic while also respecting the prerogatives of the Legislature.”