Apr. 6, 2020 5:35p; Updated 8;30p
(WPR)---Conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court have blocked an attempt by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to postpone Tuesday's election, a ruling the court made just four hours after Evers acted.
The court's decision means that despite public health warnings against large crowds in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin's April 7 election is happening.
Evers announced his order early Monday afternoon, saying he had an obligation to keep the public safe.
"At the end of the day, somebody's got to stand up for those folks," Evers said.
Republican state lawmakers immediately appealed the governor's order, noting Evers had said as recently as a week ago that he lacked the authority to unilaterally delay the election.
"The clerks of this state should stand ready to proceed with the election," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. "The governor’s executive order is clearly an unconstitutional overreach."
Four conservatives — Justices Patience Roggensack, Annette Ziegler, Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn — ruled against Evers on Monday. The court's two liberals — Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet — dissented.
Conservative Justice Daniel Kelly, who is on the ballot Tuesday, indicated on his campaign Twitter account that he supports moving forward with the election. Kelly didn't participate in the decision.
In a separate decision handed down Monday night, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that absentee ballots cast in Wisconsin must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, although they will be counted until April 13.
A previous court order by U.S. District Court Judge William Conley would have let people continue to cast ballots after April 7 as long as they were returned by April 13.
Conservative Justice Daniel Kelly, who is on the ballot Tuesday, indicated on his campaign Twitter account that he supports moving forward with the election. Kelly did not participate in the decision.
Editor's note: This story will be updated.
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