Judge orders mediation in Georgia mask mandate dispute

ATLANTA (AP) — The judge overseeing a dispute between Georgia's governor and the state's capital over restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic has ordered the two sides to try to reach a settlement.

Atlanta is among more than a dozen local jurisdictions statewide that has ordered people to wear masks in many public places to prevent the virus's spread. In a lawsuit filed last week against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the members of the City Council, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp argued that local leaders do not have the authority to impose measures that are more or less restrictive than those in his executive orders.

An order from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jane Barwick filed Thursday instructs the two sides to attend mediation and to “make a good faith effort to resolve the issues involved in this case” before Tuesday, when a hearing in the case is scheduled.

Bottoms has said she and the governor spoke Wednesday and that she hoped they would be able to reach a resolution.

In an executive order last week, Kemp strongly encouraged people to wear face coverings to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, but he didn't mandate the wearing of masks. The order also suspends any local laws or rules that are more restrictive than his order, including local rules or ordinances requiring people to wear masks.

Bottoms’ orders and statements to the press have created uncertainty and confusion, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit filed July 16 asks a judge to overturn Bottoms’ orders that are more restrictive than Kemp’s, block her from issuing any more such orders, instruct the City Council not to ratify Bottoms’ actions or adopt any ordinances inconsistent with Kemp’s orders, to prohibit Bottoms from making public statements asserting she has authority that exceeds Kemp’s, and to require city...