Wayne County, Michigan Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy says her office will dismiss over 1,600 cases stemming from violations of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) coronavirus restrictions.
In a press release on Monday, Worthy’s office noted a decision by the Michigan Supreme Court that found that Whitmer did not have the authority to issue or extend coronavirus restrictions after April 30.
The release said Worthy’s office “conducted a review of the cases and it was determined that there is not a legal basis to proceed with them.”
“WCPO will be dismissing all adjudicated cases and all pending cases,” the release added.
In a statement, Worthy said, “Governor Whitmer’s leadership has prevented many of our citizens from contracting COVID-19.”
“However, considering the Supreme Court’s decision, WCPO will no longer use criminal prosecution to enforce the Governor’s Executive Order. It is my earnest hope that people will continue to wear face masks, social distance, and quarantine when warranted,” she added.
In October, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Whitmer did not have the authority to extend a state of emergency beyond April 30 and thus did not have the authority to extend coronavirus restrictions.
Worthy’s decision comes as Michigan is seeing a 30% decrease in the biweekly average of new cases from the previous two weeks. The state is now seeing an average of 1,892 cases per day.