Another Dem Governor's COVID Restrictions Just Got Slapped Down by Court
The Michigan Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s coronavirus lockdown orders as unconstitutional was a devastating defeat for state leaders intent on quarantining their communities.
Now, another Democratic governor is seeing his overreaching COVID-19 orders slapped down by a court.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ restriction on state restaurants was blocked by a county judge Wednesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Evers’ order limited the number of people in bars and restaurants to a business-crushing 25 percent of capacity, with the requirement counting staff members alongside customers.
The mandate also placed restrictions on public gatherings.
Sawyer County Judge John Yackel issued the injunction blocking the overreach, writing that the ruling stands “until terminated by subsequent Order of this Court.”
The challenge against Evers’ coronavirus restrictions was brought on largely by the Tavern League of Wisconsin, a trade association for businesses that sell alcoholic beverages. The Sawyer County Tavern League and the Flambeau Forest Inn were also named as plaintiffs in the order.
Those fighting the Democrat’s order say the tight capacity limits make it so that some businesses could not both operate and earn a profit.
“If Flambeau were forced to operate at a 10-person capacity, it could only include five customers onsite with the five staff normally required to operate the bar and restaurant,” the restauranteurs argued in the lawsuit.
Wisconsin businesses are not the only ones to feel the strain of restrictive government orders during the pandemic.
By some estimates, more than half of the businesses shuttered during lockdowns will not be reopening.
While the court ruling stopping Evers’ order likely comes too late for many restaurants, the judge’s ruling is nonetheless important.
The defeat is now at least the third of its kind handed to a Democratic state leader over coronavirus prevention mandates, following the high-profile court decision this month that found Whitmer’s orders to be unconstitutional.
Previously, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf had his COVID orders shot down by a commonwealth judge for failing to respect people’s constitutional rights.
There’s no telling how many more dominoes the court system will topple as legal challenges to lockdowns make their way through the system.
The restrictive lockdowns, measures that the World Health Organization now advises against, have left an unmistakable mark on the U.S. economy and on the lives of countless Americans.
With the latest decision striking down the restrictions, it appears Democratic governors’ overreaching orders — and their disastrous effects — will not be remembered kindly in history.
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