Michigan Supreme Court: Governor exceeded powers during coronavirus pandemic

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday struck down months of orders by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that were aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, saying she illegally drew authority from a 1945 law that doesn’t apply.

The court said the law was an “unlawful delegation of legislative power to the executive branch in violation of the Michigan Constitution.”

The decision is an extraordinary development in a months-long tug-of-war between Whitmer, a Democrat, and the Republicans who control the Legislature who have complained that they’ve been shut out of major orders that have restricted education, the economy and health care.