Oregonians, Let’s Take Back Our Lives
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Please support a lawsuit to save Oregon from absurdly powerful and unconstitutional emergency laws. These laws have turned our governor into a one-person legislature, allowing her to manipulate the covid-19 emergency and control our lives.
We aim to raise $25,000 initially. If our first lawsuit is successful, additional lawsuits will follow to limit Governor Brown’s emergency powers even further. Additional fundraising may be needed then. Limiting the Governor’s power is so urgent and necessary, that I have put up $5,000 from my own savings to start this lawsuit.
If we are fully successful, we will end the emergency and all of the related executive orders immediately. Power to write laws will remain with the legislature, where it belongs. Most importantly, our success will mean no governor will be able to abuse the emergency powers again in the future. Oregon will return to its traditional method of trusting its citizens to make sensible decisions during a crisis.
Long-time attorney James Buchal will handle the lawsuit. Mr. Buchal has said that he particularly enjoys representing those who struggle against government bureaucrats abusing their discretion, even though the deck is stacked against them. The deck is definitely stacked against Oregonians right now, and we are fortunate to have Mr. Buchal fighting for us.
This fight is critically important. We need your support now, not later. If everyone reading this would take a few moments to donate right now and share this with friends, we can begin to take back our lives. Please donate now!
Why Try Another Lawsuit?
You may have heard that previous lawsuits failed, and the Oregon Supreme Court has given its final word on the emergency. Previous suits have in fact failed, but the final word is most definitely not in.
With our Democrat-dominated legislature, there is no check possible on Governor Brown’s emergency power outside a referendum or a lawsuit. A referendum is simply too slow. Our only chance is a lawsuit.
Fortunately, delegating legislative power to the governor is unconstitutional in Oregon, and we intend to prove it. The previous failed cases challenged the governor on very different grounds. We are confident that our arguments have merit.
With your donation, using this new approach, we can win!
The Emergency Orders are Ruining Lives
I recently met a woman who shared with me how the Governor’s lockdown has affected her. She is trapped most of the day in a one-bedroom apartment with her work-at-home husband. Her former quiet space has been taken over by a job that is not hers. She used to have a very active social life including martial arts, drum circles, and flow-arts spin jams. That’s all gone now. Everyone she knows is too scared to meet with her. She finds herself crying all the time and actually attempted suicide a few months ago.
A teacher recently told me about her online teaching experience this spring. One of her students had to work out of a closet because his home was so noisy. Several students who had been making excellent progress in reading and writing, slipped backwards rapidly as soon as the personal relationship disappeared. She herself worked bent over a portable computer with a small screen at a dining room table. Back problems that had troubled her in the past have become worse. She has since lost her job due to low enrollment.
These are just two examples of how Governor Brown’s orders are eroding our mental, emotional, and physical health. We all know similar stories.
Quality of life matters! Your donation will help to save our lives and our spirits.
Our Plans in Brief
Our first effort will be to persuade the court that many sections of the emergency law violate the Separation of Powers clause in the Oregon Constitution. There is simply no question that this is so. The only question is whether a politicized Oregon Supreme Court will agree. For the sake of Oregon, we hope so.
If we can win fully on this point, the emergency will end immediately. If this happens we expect the Governor to declare a public health emergency using a different law. Governor Brown’s power under that other law will be more limited. For example, she should no longer have authority to mandate online schooling without legislative approval. Any new emergency will also be time limited.
Once her powers are limited, we can begin to challenge the reasonableness of her orders based on the terribly harmful effects they have had on Oregon’s people and economy.
We also hope to persuade the court to provide a framework for ending an emergency when it no longer meets the legal definition. The law requires the governor to end an emergency when it is no longer an emergency. We intend to ask the court to either declare that this “requirement” has no practical meaning, or to explain how to use it, so we can do so.
Having a clear legal path to end an emergency will prevent future emergencies from spiraling out of control and lasting as long as this one.
Your donation now will help to prevent the abuse of Oregon’s emergency laws in the future.
Who is Involved
Attorney James Buchal of Murphy & Buchal LLP will be representing us in this lawsuit.
Senator Dennis Linthicum from District 28 plans to join our suit as soon as the complaint is ready, and we expect that other members of the Oregon Legislature will join as well. As additional plaintiffs join the lawsuit, I will provide updates to this page.
As the sponsor of this GoFundMe I have agreed to be financially responsible for this lawsuit and have signed an initial $5,000 retainer with Murphy and Buchal LLP using my own money. In addition to fundraising for the suit, I will make regular updates to this site concerning the progress of the suit and use of the funds.
How Will the Money Get Used?
Funds raised, net of GoFundMe fees, will be transferred monthly to a litigation checking account I have set up specifically to finance this lawsuit. Those funds will be used only to pay legal fees and lawsuit expenses billed to me on a monthly basis by Mr. Buchal. Mr. Buchal has a reputation for integrity, and his legal fees and expenses will be reasonable.
The initial goal of $25,000 should be enough to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency laws. Assuming we win that case, we will continue the GoFundMe if necessary to finance the rest of our challenge.
I will provide financial updates at least monthly. They will account for personal payments I have to make to support this suit and transfers from GoFundMe to the litigation account I have set up. They will also summarize the legal fees and expenses billed by Mr. Buchal.
At the end of the entire effort, I will publish here a statement accounting for the disposition of all funds raised, and will make that statement available by email to any donor requesting it.
There will be no personal financial windfalls for anyone involved.
If for any reason we abandon the lawsuit, or lose, or the court awards attorney fees, or there is money left in either the GoFundMe account or the litigation account when the case ends, it will be used as follows:
1) First to reimburse me for any personal payments in excess of $2,500 that I have made directly to Mr. Buchal’s firm to finance the lawsuit. My minimum contribution to the lawsuit will therefore be $2,500.
2) Any money remaining after such reimbursement, already transferred out of the GoFundMe account, will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank.
3) Any other money remaining in the GoFundMe account will be refunded.
Even if leftover money is donated to the Oregon Food Bank, your donations are probably not tax deductible. Check with a tax advisor to be sure.
Please take a few moments to think about what the Governor’s orders have taken from all of us. Your donation can help us bring back the Oregon we love.
We aim to raise $25,000 initially. If our first lawsuit is successful, additional lawsuits will follow to limit Governor Brown’s emergency powers even further. Additional fundraising may be needed then. Limiting the Governor’s power is so urgent and necessary, that I have put up $5,000 from my own savings to start this lawsuit.
If we are fully successful, we will end the emergency and all of the related executive orders immediately. Power to write laws will remain with the legislature, where it belongs. Most importantly, our success will mean no governor will be able to abuse the emergency powers again in the future. Oregon will return to its traditional method of trusting its citizens to make sensible decisions during a crisis.
Long-time attorney James Buchal will handle the lawsuit. Mr. Buchal has said that he particularly enjoys representing those who struggle against government bureaucrats abusing their discretion, even though the deck is stacked against them. The deck is definitely stacked against Oregonians right now, and we are fortunate to have Mr. Buchal fighting for us.
This fight is critically important. We need your support now, not later. If everyone reading this would take a few moments to donate right now and share this with friends, we can begin to take back our lives. Please donate now!
Why Try Another Lawsuit?
You may have heard that previous lawsuits failed, and the Oregon Supreme Court has given its final word on the emergency. Previous suits have in fact failed, but the final word is most definitely not in.
With our Democrat-dominated legislature, there is no check possible on Governor Brown’s emergency power outside a referendum or a lawsuit. A referendum is simply too slow. Our only chance is a lawsuit.
Fortunately, delegating legislative power to the governor is unconstitutional in Oregon, and we intend to prove it. The previous failed cases challenged the governor on very different grounds. We are confident that our arguments have merit.
With your donation, using this new approach, we can win!
The Emergency Orders are Ruining Lives
I recently met a woman who shared with me how the Governor’s lockdown has affected her. She is trapped most of the day in a one-bedroom apartment with her work-at-home husband. Her former quiet space has been taken over by a job that is not hers. She used to have a very active social life including martial arts, drum circles, and flow-arts spin jams. That’s all gone now. Everyone she knows is too scared to meet with her. She finds herself crying all the time and actually attempted suicide a few months ago.
A teacher recently told me about her online teaching experience this spring. One of her students had to work out of a closet because his home was so noisy. Several students who had been making excellent progress in reading and writing, slipped backwards rapidly as soon as the personal relationship disappeared. She herself worked bent over a portable computer with a small screen at a dining room table. Back problems that had troubled her in the past have become worse. She has since lost her job due to low enrollment.
These are just two examples of how Governor Brown’s orders are eroding our mental, emotional, and physical health. We all know similar stories.
Quality of life matters! Your donation will help to save our lives and our spirits.
Our Plans in Brief
Our first effort will be to persuade the court that many sections of the emergency law violate the Separation of Powers clause in the Oregon Constitution. There is simply no question that this is so. The only question is whether a politicized Oregon Supreme Court will agree. For the sake of Oregon, we hope so.
If we can win fully on this point, the emergency will end immediately. If this happens we expect the Governor to declare a public health emergency using a different law. Governor Brown’s power under that other law will be more limited. For example, she should no longer have authority to mandate online schooling without legislative approval. Any new emergency will also be time limited.
Once her powers are limited, we can begin to challenge the reasonableness of her orders based on the terribly harmful effects they have had on Oregon’s people and economy.
We also hope to persuade the court to provide a framework for ending an emergency when it no longer meets the legal definition. The law requires the governor to end an emergency when it is no longer an emergency. We intend to ask the court to either declare that this “requirement” has no practical meaning, or to explain how to use it, so we can do so.
Having a clear legal path to end an emergency will prevent future emergencies from spiraling out of control and lasting as long as this one.
Your donation now will help to prevent the abuse of Oregon’s emergency laws in the future.
Who is Involved
Attorney James Buchal of Murphy & Buchal LLP will be representing us in this lawsuit.
Senator Dennis Linthicum from District 28 plans to join our suit as soon as the complaint is ready, and we expect that other members of the Oregon Legislature will join as well. As additional plaintiffs join the lawsuit, I will provide updates to this page.
As the sponsor of this GoFundMe I have agreed to be financially responsible for this lawsuit and have signed an initial $5,000 retainer with Murphy and Buchal LLP using my own money. In addition to fundraising for the suit, I will make regular updates to this site concerning the progress of the suit and use of the funds.
How Will the Money Get Used?
Funds raised, net of GoFundMe fees, will be transferred monthly to a litigation checking account I have set up specifically to finance this lawsuit. Those funds will be used only to pay legal fees and lawsuit expenses billed to me on a monthly basis by Mr. Buchal. Mr. Buchal has a reputation for integrity, and his legal fees and expenses will be reasonable.
The initial goal of $25,000 should be enough to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency laws. Assuming we win that case, we will continue the GoFundMe if necessary to finance the rest of our challenge.
I will provide financial updates at least monthly. They will account for personal payments I have to make to support this suit and transfers from GoFundMe to the litigation account I have set up. They will also summarize the legal fees and expenses billed by Mr. Buchal.
At the end of the entire effort, I will publish here a statement accounting for the disposition of all funds raised, and will make that statement available by email to any donor requesting it.
There will be no personal financial windfalls for anyone involved.
If for any reason we abandon the lawsuit, or lose, or the court awards attorney fees, or there is money left in either the GoFundMe account or the litigation account when the case ends, it will be used as follows:
1) First to reimburse me for any personal payments in excess of $2,500 that I have made directly to Mr. Buchal’s firm to finance the lawsuit. My minimum contribution to the lawsuit will therefore be $2,500.
2) Any money remaining after such reimbursement, already transferred out of the GoFundMe account, will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank.
3) Any other money remaining in the GoFundMe account will be refunded.
Even if leftover money is donated to the Oregon Food Bank, your donations are probably not tax deductible. Check with a tax advisor to be sure.
Please take a few moments to think about what the Governor’s orders have taken from all of us. Your donation can help us bring back the Oregon we love.
Organizer
Neil Ruggles
Organizer
Beaverton, OR