On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin issued a ruling that strikes down the state's stay-at-home order.
The ruling was 4-3, with most of the conservative justices in the majority — including Daniel Kelly, the lame-duck judge who was defeated for re-election in March. Brian Hagedorn, the most recently elected of the court's conservatives and a former legal counsel for ex-Gov. Scott Walker, wrote a dissent joined by the court's two liberals.
The decision was widely expected, as several of the conservative justices scorned the order openly in oral arguments. Justice Rebecca Bradley suggested the order was "the definition of tyranny" and comparing it to Japanese internment camps, and Chief Justice Patience Roggensack was dismissive of a local coronavirus outbreak because it was mainly impacting meatpacking workers and not "regular folks."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has come under fire previously for its decision to strike down Gov. Tony Evers' order delaying the presidential primary, which forced tens of thousands of voters who hadn't had time to receive absentee ballots to stand in public and risk exposure to COVID-19.
As of last week, 67 people who voted in person in that election have tested positive for the virus, although it is unclear how many were infected at the polls or from other sources.
