(WWJ/AP) A chiropractor in western Michigan is challenging the state's mask rule, saying the state health department has no authority to make masks mandatory.
It's one of the first lawsuits since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration issued new coronavirus orders following a defeat at the Michigan Supreme Court.
The lawsuit -- filed on behalf of Semlow Peak Performance Chiropractic in Grand Haven -- claims the health department can regulate gatherings under state law, but can't order masks.
The Ottawa County health department told the clinic that it must follow the state order. The clinic makes masks optional.
This news comes as Whitmer continued to push the mask rule on Wednesday. Speaking while masked at a news conference, the governor stressed that the lat the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is using to enact pandemic orders is not effected by the Supreme Court ruling.
The governor said Michigan is now "at our peak" when it comes to daily new COVID cases confirmed -- higher than what the state saw in April.
With that in mind, Whitmer urged everyone to continue to observe pandemic best practices.
"You don't need an executive order or a court to know what it is we need to do in this moment. The good news is that we know what it's going to take,
Whitmer said. "We've done this. We crushed the curve in the spring when we wear a mask, when we maintain six feet of physical distancing, when we wash our hands frequently."