BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is renewing his attacks on the state's mask mandate, arguing that the order is legally inadequate and should not be grounds for shutting down businesses that defy the rule.

Landry's latest comments came in the form of a brief filed in the ongoing legal battle between Governor John Bel Edwards and Firehouse BBQ in Livingston Parish. In the new document, Landry argues that the state does not have the authority to close the restaurant based on the "legally flawed mask mandate."  

The state has already revoked the restaurant's permit, but a judge signed a temporary restraining order last week preventing the state from taking further action until after a hearing scheduled for Sept. 1.

Edwards has repeatedly defended the mask mandate and other orders currently in place statewide aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled on the side of the state in a lawsuit fighting a state order shutting down bars in phase 2.

You can read the full brief from the attorney general's office here.