Governor Whitmer's Office Statement on 6th Circuit Court Ruling

Statement

Today, the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement from Press Secretary Tiffany Brown after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, including one judge nominated by Donald Trump and two judges nominated by George W. Bush, granted her request for a stay of a lower court ruling declaring her order closing gyms in southern Michigan because of COVID-19 should be lifted Thursday, June 25:

"Today three Republican-appointed judges got it right: in the fight against a global pandemic, courts must give governors broad latitude to make quick, difficult decisions. The governor will continue to take the actions necessary to save lives."

QUOTES FROM THE COURT'S RULING:

"Shaping the precise contours of public health measures entails some difficult line-drawing. Our Constitution wisely leaves that task to officials directly accountable to the people." (p 6)

"Enjoining the actions of elected state officials, especially in a situation where an infectious disease can and has spread rapidly, causes irreparable harm." (p. 6)

"Crises like COVID-19 can call for quick, decisive measures to save lives. Yet those measures can have extreme costs--costs that often are not borne evenly. The decision to impose those costs rests with the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer." (p. 7)

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