LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Michigan Supreme Court, after listening to hours of arguments Wednesday, says it wants more information after on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s sweeping use of authority during the coronavirus pandemic.
The court told attorneys representing the Governor and state lawmakers who are suing her to file briefs on key portions of a 1945 law that Whitmer has cited to declare an emergency and set restrictions on everyday life to control the spread of the virus.
Critics say the law from the World War II era was intended to restore order in certain areas of the state during times of riots and civil unrest, not during a pandemic.
The Supreme Court ordered lawyers to address by September 16 whether “public safety” in the law “encompasses ‘public health’ events such as epidemics.” The court also wants input about how the law fits in the context of public health. The law doesn’t include the word “health.”