Caught off-guard by the onslaught of the coronavirus, the United States has been forced to adopt an aggressive social distancing strategy as a last resort to slow the spread. We have been broadly supportive of this strategy while recognizing that all measures should be balanced against basic liberties.

The most effective officials are reluctant to place restrictions on people’s lives and do so only when there’s a legitimate justification. The stewardship of Michigan by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, however, is an example of the worst of both worlds. One of the rumored candidates to be Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick has managed to impose draconian measures on residents of the state without any conceivable public health benefit.