Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules on Governor’s Emergency Powers
Wisconsin | April 5, 2021
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on March 31 that Gov. Tony Evers (D) overstepped his authority when he declared several states of emergency since the start of the pandemic without input from the legislature. In the majority opinion, Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote that under the relevant state statute, only a joint resolution from the legislature could extend a state of emergency beyond 60 days. Evers first declared a state of emergency in March 2020. The ruling invalidated Wisconsin’s emergency order, which included the statewide mask mandate. The mask requirement took effect on Aug. 1, 2020.
In total, 39 states issued statewide public mask requirements during the pandemic. Thirty-one states currently have statewide mask orders, including 22 of the 23 states with Democratic governors and nine out of the 27 states with Republican governors.
(Excerpt from MSN.com)