The Michigan Supreme Court will weigh in on how Republicans in the Legislature dealt with a voter-initiated measure to increase the state minimum wage. GOP leaders also asked the Supreme Court to issue an opinion on the new law that requires employers to offer workers paid sick leave.
The minimum wage and paid sick leave measures were headed to the ballot last November. But Republicans in the Legislature adopted the laws first and then changed them after Election Day, before adjourning for the year. The new laws were more employer-friendly than the original versions.
Democrats say the GOP actions circumvented the will of the voters.
Republicans in the Legislature are hoping to avert a legal challenge by asking the Republican-majority Supreme Court to give its approval to the adopt-and-amend approach. It’s only an advisory opinion, but that opinion could give a pretty strong indication of how the justices would rule. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, has also been asked to give a legal opinion.
