Michigan’s governor has been in the national spotlight since the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in early March. To many Michiganders, Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer appears more concerned with auditioning for Joe Biden’s VP than actually finding ways to address the economic destruction she’s causing with her reckless, draconian, one-size-fits-all lockdown measures.
On April 15, the Michigan Conservative Coalition sparked a nationwide movement when they organized “Operation Gridlock” that brought an estimated 10,000 vehicles to the state’s Capitol.
The protest against Governor Whitmer’s overreaching lockdown orders was the first of its kind and gained national attention. Whitmer’s response to the estimated 15,000 Michigan citizens who drove to Lansing to protest her executive order was to threaten them with a lengthier shutdown and accuse them of causing the coronavirus to spread.
Michigan lawmakers in the Republican-majority House and Senate have tried to negotiate with Whitmer. Their efforts, like the tens of thousands of Michigan residents who traveled to Lansing, have been met with resistance.
The Detroit News reports – During a press conference earlier today, Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, announced that they’ve filed a suit in the state Court of Claims, challenging the constitutionality of Whitmer’s actions related to the COVID-19 crisis.
The move is a major escalation of the fight between Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor.
Chatfield said there are “common-sense changes” to restrictions that need to be implemented and alleged Whitmer had decided to “go it alone.”
“Because of that we filed a lawsuit today in the Court of Claims, challenging the governor’s unconstitutional actions,” Chatfield said. “Today was very avoidable, but it is necessary. It’s a sad day for our state because we truly should all be working together.”
The lawsuit asks for a “speedy hearing” and for the court to find that Whitmer’s “ongoing ’emergency’ orders are improper and invalid” under Michigan law.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield tweeted about the lawsuit and why they decided to challenge Governor Whitmer in court:
We’ve attempted to partner with our governor, but she’s rejected. We offered cooperation, but instead she chose court. This was avoidable, but today we filed a lawsuit in our state to challenge her unconstitutional actions. The law in Michigan is clear, and nobody is above it.
https://twitter.com/LeeChatfield/status/1258022094622937088?s=20
Whitmer’s “recent actions seize lawmaking power from the Legislature in service of a new executive-domineered legal regime,” according to the lawsuit. “In doing so, Defendant takes control of matters at the core of the Legislature’s constitutional mandate. And she does so under no discernible standards or time limits, save vague instances that an ‘emergency’ requires them.”
The lawsuit filing came six days after the Michigan Legislature approved resolutions authorizing Chatfield and Shirkey to take legal action against Whitmer’s unilateral powers on behalf of the GOP-controlled House and Senate.
Here is a copy of the lawsuit:
GOP lawmakers challenge Gov… by Craig Mauger on Scribd
The lawsuit is “just another partisan game that won’t distract the governor,” said Tiffany Brown, Whitmer’s spokeswoman.
Earlier today, we reported about a 43-year-old father of 9, who was shot dead in a Flint Dollar Store while attempting to defend Governor Whitmer’s latest executive order forcing everyone in an enclosed public space to wear a face covering.
Calvin Munerlyn is being praised by community members who remember him for all the ways he gave back to others. At the Madison Academy, where Munerlyn was honored as “Parent of the Year” just days before the shooting, his death is especially felt.
According to NewsOne, Calvin James Munerlyn, a 43-year-old married father of nine, was working at a Family Dollar in Flint, Michigan, on Friday. During his shift, he asked a female customer to cover her face with a mask while inside the store. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order says that “everyone must wear a mask in all enclosed public spaces to halt the spread of COVID-19.”
