Don’t mess with Rhode Island,
The nation’s smallest state has declared war on the nation’s largest city.
Governor Gina M. Raimondo issued an order directing the National Guard and state police to stop anyone driving with a New York license plate. Those individuals were told they had to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The governor also directed police to stop anyone coming from New York at bus stations and train stations. That order was later extended to all out-of-state visitors.
“While the Governor may have the power to suspend some state laws and regulations to address this medical emergency, she cannot suspend the Constitution,” Rhode Island ACLU executive director Steven Brown said in a statement. “Under the Fourth Amendment, having a New York state license plate simply does not, and cannot, constitute ‘probable cause’ to allow police to stop a car and interrogate the driver, no matter how laudable the goal of the stop may be.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the directive “not neighborly” and threatened to sue.
“He’s welcome to sue if he wants, I’m on firm legal ground,” the Rhode Island governor said.
