Frederica Freyberg:

State Republicans wasted little time denouncing Governor Evers’ emergency order. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said “Wisconsin’s lawless governor continues to rule by fiat and it must end. This latest order is obviously illegal. Wisconsin statutes clearly state the powers given to the executive branch during a public health emergency are limited. There is already a court challenge and undoubtedly there will be more. No one branch of government can rule outside the letter of the law and go unchecked even during a pandemic.” Last spring, the Republican-led legislature challenged the governor’s “safer-at-home” order. The state Supreme Court struck the order down. A separate lawsuit filed last month in Polk County challenges the governor’s authority to extend the state mask mandate without the Legislature’s approval.