Gov. Whitmer asks Michigan Supreme Court to keep her emergency orders in place for another 3 weeks

DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to keep her emergency orders regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in place for another three weeks.

That comes after the court ruled the governor overstepped her authority with her emergency orders dating all the way back to May.

• Tracking coronavirus cases, outbreaks in Michigan schools
• Michigan Gov. Whitmer wants clarification on when coronavirus orders will no longer be in effect
• Michigan Gov. Whitmer: Statewide mask requirement remains in effect

Over the weekend, the Senate majority leader said the mask mandate is likely to go away. Whitmer wants the mandate to stay. If she doesn’t have the authority to keep the mandate, she believes the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services does.

Whitmer also put out a statement telling the Legislature to get serious about COVID-19 and get back to work. It doesn’t have many sessions scheduled over the next month.

“Back in early April and May we extended our hand in cooperation to the Governor. She rejected it. We wanted to work together and cooperate and she chose to go it alone,” Speaker Lee Chatfield said.

Whitmer also said the Legislature needs to concern itself with one of her orders that would preserve unemployment benefits for nearly 900,000 Michiganders. Chatfield said everything is under review.

READ: What’s going on with coronavirus orders in Michigan? Just look at Wisconsin