Novi Times

Despite claims laid out by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her allies, there is no connection that can be made between a Michigan Supreme Court ruling and the pattern of rising COVID-19 cases in the state, which follows the same pattern throughout the country.

Not just government officials, but also members of the media levied the accusation that by upholding the state's constitution and rule of law, the court was responsible for the increase in cases, regardless of Michigan’s increase not being out of line with other states across the country over the last couple of months, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. 

"Forty-one days ago, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled against Gov. Whitmer and her executive orders related to COVID. There were 126,358 confirmed cases on that day for the entire year. We are now at 236,225. Nearly double since the ruling,” tweeted WXMI-TV Grand Rapids anchor Ryan Cummings, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

The increase in coronavirus cases was already happening before the ruling came down, says Michigan Capitol Confidential. Additionally, there is no evidence that people in the state have changed their behaviors to any significant degree since the ruling, in which the court stated that the law Whitmer was using to claim unilateral emergency powers was unconstitutional.

In fact, a recent survey from OnePoll indicated that 84% of Michigan residents said they would wear a mask in public, regardless of whether there was a government mandate, reported Michigan Capitol Confidential. In fact, the survey showed that the percentage of state residents wearing masks in public has increased since the ruling, with only 72% of Michiganders saying they regularly wore a mask in public places in response to a September survey.

Additionally, while Whitmer has personally claimed that the Supreme Court Ruling against her executive orders has caused an increase in coronavirus cases, those orders remained in effect for 21 days after the ruling. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services immediately followed by putting most those same orders into effect as health directives.