Governor Whitmer Calls An End-Around On Virus Orders

Within hours of asking, or demanding as some call it, help from the State Supreme Court which just nullified the legal foundation of her  COVID-19 virus-related actions, Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer initiated what can only be called an end-around. It’s an old football term. Its everyday use simply references doing something, in order to avoid something. In this case, the Governor is ordering the State Health and Human Services Department to initiate wide-ranging actions to keep a clampdown on the state in response to the COVID-19 virus but circumventing the methods that the State Supreme Court ruled cannot be used. Many critics of the Governor have warned this was the probable next step. The Order from Health and Human Services Department Director Robert Gordon is based on a law from 1978 Public Health law, not covered by the Supreme Court rulings last week. This new Order requires state residents to wear face masks at non-residential indoor and outdoor gatherings and limits the number of people who can congregate.

Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and State House Speaker Lee Chatfield are telling capitol reporters they do not intend to turn any of the Governor’s previous Orders into state law, especially when it comes to business-related restrictions. Many thought the State Supreme Court rulings were the start of the end of the Governor's unilateral control of the state. Now some aren’t so sure it wasn’t just one more skirmish over control.