The prosecutor for Wayne County, Michigan has announced that her office will dismiss all charges related to violations of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s (D-Mich.) coronavirus lockdown orders, as reported by The Hill.
Prosecutor Kim Worthy, whose jurisdiction includes the city of Detroit, said in a statement that the nearly 1,700 cases involving violations of various lockdown rules and restrictions will no longer be pursued by her office. The decision comes after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Whitmer’s authority to issue more lockdown orders expired on April 30th of 2020, and that any such alleged violations after that date cannot be prosecuted.
“It was determined,” the prosecutor’s statement said, “that there is not a legal basis to proceed with them. WCPO will be dismissing all adjudicated cases and all pending cases.” Although the statement then went on to claim, with no evidence, that “Governor Whitmer’s leadership has prevented many of our citizens from contracting COVID-19,” it was forced to admit that “considering the Supreme Court’s decision, WCPO will no longer use criminal prosecution to enforce the Governor’s Executive Order.”
Whitmer’s office attempted to make an appeal to the state supreme court after the ruling in October, only to be rejected several days later. Whitmer has been responsible for some of the strictest lockdowns in the nation, which has led to a sharp decline in her approval ratings and massive protests across the state.
Like several other governors, Whitmer has been accused of hypocrisy with regards to the lockdowns after her husband attempted to violate her own lockdown rules for Memorial Day weekend, in asking for their private boat to be allowed on a lake, and even attempting to use his status as the governor’s husband as leverage.