Madison mayor: Legal challenges to gathering ban ‘hell-bent on endangering the public’

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Madison’s mayor is responding to lawsuits challenging Dane County’s order restricting gatherings, saying the legal challenges “seem hell-bent on endangering the public, sowing discord and doubt, and undermining science.”

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a petition with the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to immediately block Dane County’s ban on indoor gatherings and indoor sports. Janel Heinrich, director of Dane County and the city of Madison’s joint health department, issued the order on Nov. 17 prohibiting mass indoor gatherings. The order was clarified to define mass indoor gatherings as groups of people who are not members of the same household.

The law firm’s petition for an original action and emergency motion for a temporary injunction argues the order violates the constitutional rights of freedom of assembly, and threatens to ruin Thanksgiving and subject young athletes to mental trauma.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the city and county relied on science and data to guide decisions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the lawsuits are “irresponsible and unconscionable in  a time when COVID-19 infections are skyrocketing and Wisconsinites are dying every day.”

Rick Esenberg, WILL president and general counsel, said on Monday that the order illustrates why Heinrich should not be allowed to rule unilaterally by decree. He said local governing bodies should make decisions about COVID-19 precautions and “banning private family gatherings just before Thanksgiving, while allowing Black Friday shopping, makes little sense.” Follow @WLJReporter