Attorney General Ellison urges compliance with extended Stay At Home order, will use power of AG's office to enforce if necessary

April 8, 2020 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued the following statement in response to Governor Tim Walz’s announcement that he has signed Executive Order 20-33, which extends his Stay At Home order until May 4:

“I support Governor Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-33 that extends the Stay At Home order until May 4, and will vote to approve it as a member of the Executive Council. As Minnesota’s chief legal officer, the Governor’s authority to issue this Executive Order is firmly rooted in Minnesota law, as I have stated before. I join Governor Walz in urging all Minnesotans and Minnesota businesses that are not exempted from the order to comply with it voluntarily. If there are non-exempted businesses that do not comply with the order, however, I will use the full enforcement power that the Order extends to my office to ensure that they do.

“Continuing to stay home is how we care for ourselves and each other. Minnesotans will get through this together, as we always do.”

Section 9 of Executive Order 20-23 authorizes that in addition to any criminal penalties that may apply for violating the order, “the Attorney General, as well as city and county attorneys, may seek any civil relief available pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2019, section 8.31, for violations of this Executive Order, including civil penalties up to $25,000 per occurrence from businesses and injunctive relief.”