Those questions recently came to a head in Michigan, when the state supreme court struck down emergency powers that had been wielded by an imperious governor. Gretchen Whitmer, who seems to think she’s some kind of Upper Midwest Holy Roman Emperor, had been granted sweeping authority back in March to fight the coronavirus under an emergency management law passed in 1976. But that statute also held that after 28 days she needed the approval of the Michigan legislature, which eventually declined to renew the state of emergency. So she simply ignored them, citing a different 1945 law that allowed her to take “reasonable” action “to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation within the affected area under control.” Under its auspices, she issued more than 180 executive orders in the name of public health. Read Full Article »
Quarantine Queen vs. Representative Democracy
Does
representative democracy matter during a pandemic? Or do we dispense with it in favor of unchecked rule by executives and health departments?
Those questions recently came to a head in Michigan, when the state supreme court struck down emergency powers that had been wielded by an imperious governor. Gretchen Whitmer, who seems to think she’s some kind of Upper Midwest Holy Roman Emperor, had been granted sweeping authority back in March to fight the coronavirus under an emergency management law passed in 1976. But that statute also held that after 28 days she needed the approval of the Michigan legislature, which eventually declined to renew the state of emergency. So she simply ignored them, citing a different 1945 law that allowed her to take “reasonable” action “to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation within the affected area under control.” Under its auspices, she issued more than 180 executive orders in the name of public health. Read Full Article »
Those questions recently came to a head in Michigan, when the state supreme court struck down emergency powers that had been wielded by an imperious governor. Gretchen Whitmer, who seems to think she’s some kind of Upper Midwest Holy Roman Emperor, had been granted sweeping authority back in March to fight the coronavirus under an emergency management law passed in 1976. But that statute also held that after 28 days she needed the approval of the Michigan legislature, which eventually declined to renew the state of emergency. So she simply ignored them, citing a different 1945 law that allowed her to take “reasonable” action “to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation within the affected area under control.” Under its auspices, she issued more than 180 executive orders in the name of public health. Read Full Article »
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