Fox News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano on Thursday advised Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to stop being so heavy-handed in the lockdown of her state during the coronavirus crisis.
“By the way Governor Whitmer, don’t treat us like we are children. You work for us. We don’t work for you. The people have the right to say that and do that. And the Constitution guarantees it,” Napolitano told “Fox & Friends” in reference to anti-lockdown protesters being arrested or harassed by authorities.
The judge insisted that “we have relinquished a lot of civil liberties … because we have been compliant with the edicts issued by governors and mayors — not one of whom has the authority to write the law and assign a penalty. They have the authority to bully us, to intimidate us, to tell us what’s right from wrong.” (RELATED: Judge Napolitano: Coronavirus Crisis Is Leading To ‘Slow Death Of Civil Liberties’)
Napolitano said he agrees with an elected official telling citizens to social distance or wear face mask in the interests of public safety — but they have taken it one step further.
“To prevent us from sitting in our cars and protesting, to prevent us from saying some of have you gone too far?“ Napolitano asked rhetorically.
Critics have blasted Whitmer’s heavy-handed state lockdown that includes a ban on purchasing vegetable seeds and garden hoses. But the governor won’t restrict access to abortion, calling it a “life sustaining” experience that is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. (RELATED: ‘Gretchen Whitmer Is A Ghoul’: Tucker Wonders Why ‘People Rotting In Wheelchairs’ Is Allowed But Abortion Is ‘Essential’)
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gestures as she welcomes Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden during his campaign stop at Cherry Health clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
Whitmer hired a leftist activist group named Great Lakes Community Engagement to assist the Michigan Department of Health to track people in the state who have become infected with the coronavirus. She terminated the contract when media reports pointed out the potential politicization of information gathering.
Napolitano on Thursday also objected to the use of drones to monitor the activities of Americans during the coronavirus crisis. “The Supreme Court has said using drones —period— is a search. Those cases were written before this technology existed to monitor heart rates and body temperature. And searches can’t be done without a search warrant.”