Press Secretary Ryan Jarvi wrote in a statement: In light of the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, the Attorney General will no longer enforce the Governor’s Executive Orders through criminal prosecution. Gretchen Whitmer's request to delay the effect of an opinion that ruled her executive orders on … Here, Eater has attempted to break down the situation and what could potentially result from this Supreme Court decision. With this decision, Michigan will become the sole outlier at a time when the Upper Peninsula is experiencing rates of Covid infection not seen in our state since April. Whitmer pledged to continue working on behalf of Michiganders to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Michigan Supreme Court issued its opinion at the request of the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Health Officer Leigh-Anne Stafford has issued a local health order requiring that Oakland County residents wear masks or facial coverings when they leave their homes. Oakland County is already ramping up its efforts to impose local rules in the vacuum of a lack of statewide mandates. WBHM and UAB use cookies and similar technologies to record your visit to our websites and will supply ads about our services as you travel the internet. • Supreme Court Decision [Official]• MDHHS Epidemic Orders [Official]• Statement from Governor Whitmer on Michigan Supreme Court Ruling on Emergency Powers [Official]• Michigan Supreme Court Rules Whitmer Lacks COVID-19 Emergency Powers [Bridge]• Statement from Governor Whitmer on Michigan Supreme Court Ruling on Emergency Powers [Detroit News]• GOP Leader: No Mask Mandates, Michigan Needs to Learn to Live With Coronavirus [Bridge]• Oakland County Health Officer Requires Masks or Face Coverings in Public [Official]• Order Closing Michigan Restaurant for Dine-In Service in Limbo as Gov. Can bars now reopen indoors? Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. The court decided in a 6-1 ruling to deny Whitmer’s request to allow her orders to stay in place until Oct. 30. Over the weekend, people across the state scrambled to determine what the ruling would mean for Michigan’s pandemic response. Whitmer noted that the court's ruling would not take effect for at least 21 days and that her emergency declaration and orders would remain in place until then. The Michigan Court of Claims and Michigan Court of Appeals both ruled in Whitmer’s favor and allowed her orders to continue. Third parties may also use cookies and similar technologies to collect or receive information from our website or elsewhere on the internet and use that information to provide measurement services and targeted ads. Whitmer’s executive orders is sowing confusion into Michigan’s COVID-19 response. The ruling also came the same day that Whitmer rolled back the reopening phase of the state’s Upper Peninsula region, citing an upsurge in cases there. Copyright 2020 NPR. In May, as the cases in the state surged, legislators sued the Democratic governor arguing she had overstepped her legal authority in her declarations. Democrat State Sen. Jim Ananich of Flint called on Republicans in the Legislature to adopt all of Whitmer’s current coronavirus orders as law, so they would continue. The majority on the court stated that: ... the Governor lacked the authority to declare a “state of emergency” or a “state of disaster” under the EMA after April 30, 2020, on the basis of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the EPGA violated the Michigan Constitution because it delegated to the executive branch the legislative powers of state government and allowed the executive branch to exercise those powers indefinitely. Whitmer regretted the decision and predicted the state's coronavirus rate will begin to climb to numbers similar to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Gretchen Whitmer (pictured here on Sept. 16) does not have the authority to extend a state of emergency past April 30. Whitmer did not possess the authority under the EMA to re-declare a state of emergency or disaster based … Under the order, people at food establishments may only take off their masks when seated to eat or drink. The Legislature approved an extension of the emergency from April 1 to 30, but declined another extension beyond April 30. The state’s senate majority leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, has stated that the GOP will likely move to eliminate mask mandates and business regulations, according to Bridge. LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. The orders and coronavirus measures also occasioned protests, with hundreds of people — some of them armed — swarming the state’s Capitol. Ingham County has also begun issuing health orders requiring the use of face masks, limiting social gatherings, capping restaurant capacity at 50 percent, and requiring employee screenings for COVID-19. Whitmer, however, has continued to extend the state of emergency since that time, arguing that she has the power to do so under the the Emergency Management Act of 1976 and the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act from 1945.