Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Extension of “Safer at Home” Order

The state Supreme Court has overturned Wisconsin’s “Safer
at Home” Order. The justices ruled 4-3 Wednesday that Governor Tony Evers’
administration exceeded its authority when state Department of Health Services
Secretary-designee Andrea Palm issued an extension to the order last month. The
extended order was scheduled to run until Tuesday, May 26^th.

Under the court’s ruling, the Governor’s administration
could issue new “stay-at-home” orders, but those orders would need to be
approved by the Legislature’s rulemaking committee. Republicans had asked the court for a six-day stay that would have kept the current order in place while a new order was crafted, but the court ruled against the stay and instead invalidated the order effective immediately. 

State Senator Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac released a statement
Wednesday, which read “Even during times of crisis, we must follow the law. We
all want to protect the health and safety of Wisconsinites, but we must
continue to respect the rule of law and our constituents’ constitutional
rights.”

Feyen went on to say that he is “looking forward to quickly
implementing the bipartisan plan for reopening our state and getting Wisconsin
safely back to work.”  Read his full statement here

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin said in a statement on Twitter that “Wisconsin Republicans have gone out of their way to undermine Governor
Evers’ Safer at Home plan even though it has successfully kept Wisconsinites
safe.” The post went on to say that the ruling by the Supreme Court “comes at
no surprise”, and says that Republicans are intent on “dividing Wisconsinites
over the coronavirus.”