Thread by @billybinion

On Friday, the Michigan Supreme Court struck down @GovWhitmer's COVID-19 executive orders, calling them "unlawful."

Here's a timeline of her coronavirus response, which has sparked national debate over the limits of executive power.

My latest @reason:
reason.com/2020/10/05/mic…

Whitmer's April stay-at-home order prohibited all public and private gatherings. It banned the in-store sale of paint & outdoor goods at big retailers. It shuttered lawncare services. It made it illegal to use motorboats, but not boats without motors.
reason.com/2020/04/13/mic…

Even with all the prohibitions, lottery sales were still deemed essential.

That's likely because the proceeds help fund the state's public schools.
freep.com/story/news/loc…

Later in April, four sheriffs issued a public letter saying they wouldn’t enforce parts of her order.

"While we understand her desire to protect the public, we question some restrictions that she has imposed as overstepping her executive authority."
reason.com/2020/04/15/mic…

Whitmer rolled back her more extreme/arbitrary restrictions at the end of April, though she maintains they were the right move. But she has continued to declare state of emergency orders, allowing her to issue more executive directives.
reason.com/2020/04/24/mic…

In August, for instance, she issued an executive order requiring stricter enforcement of her COVID-19 executive orders.

It includes a provision that allows the government to weaponize licensing power against businesses.
reason.com/2020/08/14/mic…

Republicans sued back in May. “This is just another partisan game,” said Whitmer’s press sec at the time.

The state’s highest court, however, disagreed, ruling that both Whitmer’s emergency declarations and her executive orders are unconstitutional.
reason.com/2020/05/06/mic…