Judges
are standing up to governors who have overstepped their authority during
the pandemic. Over the
weekend, the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously struck down Democratic Governor Gretchen
Whitmer’s sweeping restrictions. Last month, a federal judge did
the same thing to Democratic Governor Tom Wolf in
Pennsylvania.
These rulings make a point that many politicians have forgotten: Government power is limited,
even during a pandemic. While elected officials are right
to take swift action to keep citizens safe, they are wrong to think they
can do whatever they please. In Michigan, Gov. Whitmer unilaterally banned paint sales
at large stores, motor boating, landscaping, and golf, among many other
things. When the legislature refused to extend her restrictions, as
required by law, she extended them anyway. Whatever you call that, it isn’t
democracy.
As the Michigan Supreme Court said about Gov. Whitmer, “no individual in
the history of this state has ever been vested with as much concentrated
and standardless power to regulate the lives of our people.” Here’s hoping
more states get the message and move to protect their citizens in ways that
are safe, smart, and constitutional.
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