Mask Requirement Upheld By Judge

A St. Croix County circuit judge on Monday has denied a motion that would have put Governor Tony Evers’ emergency order requiring people to wear masks on hold. A judge upheld Evers’ order requiring masks to be worn in enclosed spaces. In the case, the plaintiffs argued the Evers did not have the power to issue successive executive orders for the same emergency, but the judge disagreed. In his decision, Judge R. Michael Waterman said, “When an executive order ends after 60 days, it forces the governor, before issuing another order, to reexamine the situation and publicly identify existing, present-day facts and circumstances that constitute a public health emergency.” Evers says the mask order was within his power and that he has followed the recommendations of public health experts.