Wisconsin’s liberal Democrat Governor Tony Evers has been taking a beating in court decisions over his attempts at limiting the rights of citizens in his state related to the Wuhan pandemic.
On May 13, 2020, the WI Supreme Court struck down Governor Evers’s “stay at home” COVID order.
On October 23, 2020 a WI Appeals Court temporarily banned Evers’ attempts to limit gatherings in his state.
On February 4, the WI State legislature voted to repeal Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.
The Assembly votes 52-42 to repeal Wisconsin statewide mask mandate
It will take effect tomorrow after both Republican leaders in the Senate and Assembly have signed it
No reaction yet from @GovEvers
— Scott Bauer (@sbauerAP) February 4, 2021
On March 31, the WI Supreme Court ruled that Evers exceeded his authority in issuing multiple public health emergencies.
BREAKING: Wisconsin Supreme Court rules 4-3 @GovEvers exceeded his authority in issuing multiple public health emergencies over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
— JR Ross (@jrrosswrites) March 31, 2021
Now, in yet another blow to the far-left WI Governor, the WI Supreme Court has ruled with a 4-3 vote that Governor Evers’ statewide mask mandate is null and void.
AP reports – The conservative-leaning court ruled 4-3 that Evers violated state law by unilaterally issuing multiple emergency orders to extend the mandate for months. The court found Evers needed legislative approval to issue more orders after the initial 60-day mandate he issued in August expired.
“The question, in this case, is not whether the WI Governor acted wisely; it is whether he acted lawfully. We conclude he did not,” Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote for the majority.
Local mask mandates remain in place. Milwaukee and Dane County, home to the state capital of Madison, both have issued such mandates. But invalidating the statewide order leaves Evers with few options to control spread on a broad scale.
Republican lawmakers applauded the ruling. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in a statement that Evers abused his power and the court’s decision affirms the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.
“The governor’s repeated abuse of emergency powers and pervasive violation of state statute created a state of chaos and had to be stopped,” LeMahieu said.
Evers had argued that he can issue multiple health emergencies because of the changing nature of the pandemic. The mask order first took effect in August and Evers extended it four times since then, most recently on Feb. 4 immediately after Republican legislators repealed it.
