Last Wednesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the state’s stay-at-home orders were “unlawful, invalid and unenforceable.”
The 4-3 ruling referred to the restrictions as a “vast seizure of power.”
Writing on behalf of the court’s majority, Justice Daniel Kelly noted, “This comprehensive claim to control virtually every aspect of a person’s life is something we normally associate with a prison, not a free society governed by the rule of law.”
Justice Rebecca Bradly stated, “Isn’t it the very definition of tyranny for one person to order people to be imprisoned for going to work, among other ordinarily lawful activities?”
Responding to the ruling, Governor Tony Evers complained, “This turns the state to chaos. People will get sick. And the Republicans own the chaos.”
Also criticizing the decision was one of the dissenting judges, Rebecca Dallet, who said, “This decision will undoubtedly go down as one of the most blatant examples of judicial activism in this court’s history. And it will be Wisconsinites who pay the price.”
The assistant attorney general of the state, Colin Roth, arguing in favor of the maintaining the stay-at-home orders, warned that “people will die” if the justices strike down the stay-at-home order.
The court was responding to the lawsuit brought by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature to block Democratic governor Evers’ lockdown orders.
The court decision is just one instance of a sharp nationwide divide between Democrats, who mostly favor continuing the hard lockdown, and Republicans, who want businesses to open up now.
As of Sunday, 453 Wisconsin residents have died of COVID-19 in a state of six million people or the grand total of 0.008 percent.
Legal challenges to stay-at-home orders have also been made in Michigan, California, Kentucky, and Illinois. But, so far, none of the courts in these states have struck down governor’s orders anywhere near as fully as in Wisconsin.
Other states are actively challenging the restrictions. In Maine, Republicans have called for a special legislative session to deal with Democratic governor Janet Mills’ “disregard and even contempt” for their concerns.
In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers have been calling for public defiance of Democratic governor Tom Wolf’s restrictions on nonessential businesses.
As reported last week in the Trends Journal, in Michigan, hundreds of protestors descended on the state capitol, despite a strong rainstorm, to confront governor Gretchen Whitmer’s determination to continue the state’s lockdown.
Tensions are growing in other states where a growing number of businesses have chosen to reopen despite continuing shutdown orders. In Colorado, a restaurant that opened to diners for Mother’s Day had its license revoked. In Missouri, a gym that reopened in defiance of the state’s shutdown was issued a restraining order.
TREND FORECAST: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are three of the key battleground states for the 2020 presidential election.
We forecast, minus a wild card event, that Donald Trump will defeat his Democratic challenger and win the Presidency by winning swing states. As we continue to note: It’s the economy, stupid, and Trump will blame Democratic governors for locking down the economy.
