On April 16, Gov. Tony Evers extended his Stay at Home order from April 24 until May 26. This extension has raised many legal questions from Republican officials.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said Republicans plan on asking the Supreme Court to overturn the order.
Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Racine, spoke on the Jay Weber radio show, saying Evers was not able to use his 60 day emergency powers to create this extension because they end May 11, while the order would last until May 26.
Instead, the Stay at Home order was made under Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm.
According to Wisconsin law, the DHS has the power to close schools and forbid gatherings in public places during outbreaks and epidemics.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Darling said this extension would cost people their jobs.
“People are really desperate, we’re losing jobs,” Darling said. “There’s so many people who file for unemployment. It’s just very, very frightening. We have to get Wisconsin back to work.”
Vos told Weber that conservatives have to explore legal options instead of legislative ones.
Vos said Republicans are being careful to pick the appropriate way to push back. One potential way Vos and the Republican legislature plan to do this is to look at what legal standing the government has to dictate how businesses operate.
“You cannot say it is legal for you to order flowers at a Wal-Mart, but it is not legal for you to order flowers at a flower shop,” Vos said to Weber. “You cannot pick and choose who wins and who loses.”
Vos said that Republicans are aiming to have a legal strategy in place by next week. Though, he fears that going into court without a plan could result in giving Evers more power.
