Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Governor's Emergency Order Mask Mandate

On Wednesday, Wisconsin's Supreme Court voted 4-3 to strike down Gov. Tony Evers' statewide mask mandate, and blocked him from issuing any new public health emergency orders without the approval of the Republican-majority state legislature. This ruling comes after Evers, a Democrat, repeatedly attempted to issue a mask mandate by using emergency declarations, despite Republican lawmakers' claim that he is overreaching. In February, the Wisconsin General Assembly repealed Evers' emergency order and statewide mask mandate, citing Evers' abuse of emergency powers; after that, Evers signed a new emergency order mask mandate just an hour later. Evers encouraged state residents in a statement to continue following COVID-19 precautions. The decision in Wisconsin comes a day after Arkansas lifted a statewide mask mandate, joining a handful of states that have lifted mask mandates this month, including Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. The story received coverage across the political spectrum. Coverage from right-rated outlets tended to highlight Republican pushback against Evers, while some left-rated outlets tended to highlight polls reporting that most Wisconsin residents trusted Evers with COVID-19 precautions.