‘Whether you agree with me or not, I’m working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., filed a lawsuit against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week, alleging that Whitmer’s “unreasonable” executive orders violated the separation of powers and infringed on Michigan citizens’ constitutional rights.
Whitmer circumvented the state legislature last week by extending Michigan’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic even after the controversial measure failed on the House floor in Lansing.
This “kind of power is unconstitutional” and must be checked, Mitchell told the Detroit News.
The Democratic governor has also enacted a number of extreme policies, forbidding hospitals from performing nonessential procedures and preventing department stores form selling nonessential goods.
These rules “shock the conscience,” Mitchell said—and they also have real consequences.
As a result of Whitmer’s executive orders, Mitchell was unable to seek medical treatment for a knee surgery, his lawsuit states.
“No Michigander, including Mitchell, should be forced to choose between risking criminal prosecution and economic sanctions under the Lockdown Orders on the one hand or seeking medical treatment on the other,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
Whitmer hasn’t responded to the lawsuit, but in an appearance on CNN on Sunday, she defended her executive orders as a necessary cost Michiganders must shoulder to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Whether you agree with me or not, I’m working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan,” the pro-abortion governor said.
The Michigan state legislature has also authorized a lawsuit against Whitmer to prevent her from acting unilaterally. GOP state lawmakers haven’t filed the suit yet, but state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said it will “probably” be filed next week.
Holding Whitmer accountable is “the No. 1 priority right now,” Shirkey said. “True representative government” must “take over,” he added.