Georgia governor files lawsuit to 'restrain' Atlanta mayor from talking about face masks

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) revealed on Sunday that Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is trying to use the court system to "silence" her because he opposes the face mask mandate she has put in place.

In a tweet on Sunday, Bottoms shared a portion of the lawsuit that Kemp's office has filed against her.

"In addition to being sued over a mask mandate and voluntary advisory guidelines on COVID-19, @GovKemp has asked for an emergency injunction to 'restrain' me from issuing press statements and speaking to the press," she explained. "Far more have sacrificed too much more for me to be silent."

In addition to limiting Bottoms' authority on COVID-19 safety measures, the document seeks to muzzle the mayor.

...issue an interlocutory and permanent injunction to restrain Mayor Bottoms from issuing press releases, or making statements to the press, that she has the authority to impose more or less restrictive measures than are ordered by Governor Kemp related to the Public Health Emergency.

In a Sunday interview with CBS, Bottoms called the governor's actions "simply bizarre."

"He filed a 124-plus-page lawsuit against me this week calling for an emergency injunction to stop me from speaking about his orders," she said. "If the governor of this state had his way, I would not be allowed to speak with you today. And so this blame game is most unusual."