Governor sued by poll worker fired over mask mandate

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A man in Wisconsin has filed a complaint against a La Crosse City clerk and Gov. Tony Evers after he was fired from his job for not wearing a mask despite having a medical condition that excused him from wearing one.
• According to Nicholas Newman, his unjust dismissal from work in August was a result of Governor Ever’s statewide mask mandate which is deemed as ‘unconstitutional’.
• Republicans in multiple states have slammed the mask orders arguing that governors are not authorized to order such measures.

A Wisconsin man has filed a lawsuit against a La Crosse City clerk and Gov. Tony Evers (D) after being discharged from his poll worker position for failure to wear a mask during the August primary election. 

According to La Crosse Tribune reports on Tuesday, Nicholas Newman is suing Clerk Teri Lehrke and Evans for his unfair Aug. 11 dismissal, for which his lawyers wrote, was brought about by Lehrke’s statewide ‘unconstitutional’ mask mandate. The complaint also stated that Newman’s reason for not wearing a mask was due to a medical condition that exempted him to wear one. 

In a statement about the lawsuit, Newman’s lawyer said: “The American system of government contains three branches, not one. For those who might say the governor must do ‘something,’ the founders divided power for a reason: They had left behind a king’s rule. Power is divided on purpose so that it cannot be exercised so easily.” 

Conservatives in various states have hit back against mask decrees saying that governors do not have the power to give such orders. So far, their efforts have been successful. In Pennsylvania for instance, the Supreme Court ruled that the legislature could not independently end a statewide emergency declaration after voting to give authority to the governor to declare such an emergency situation. 

Despite the complaint, Evers’s office said the governor would still continue to promote mask use to fight COVID-19 transmission.

“We know that masks can save lives, and Gov. Evers continues to ask everyone to do their part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, staying safe at home, and limiting their social circles as much as possible,” the governor’s office told the outlet.

In addition, the governor also announced on Tuesday that his mask mandate will be extended, although the state’s Supreme Court recently sided with Republicans to cease his stay-at-home order. 

Source: The Hill