In a unanimous 7-0 decision, the Michigan Supreme Court sided with 77-year-old barber Karl Manke over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday.
Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have been relentlessly pursuing Manke, attempting to force the closure of his shop during the coronavirus pandemic.
Great Lakes News reported on Facebook late Friday that the Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Owosso barber — a stunning decision, given the narrow 4-3 ideological split in favor of conservatives.
According to Great Lakes News, Manke’s attorney, David Kallman, called it the “biggest, most lopsided victory of his career.”
Whitmer and Nessel fined Manke and stripped him of his license after he repeatedly refused to close his business in defiance of Whitmer’s executive orders.
A Michigan Court of Appeals upheld that Manke’s license suspension was valid, but the Supreme Court decision reversed that.
Manke was defiant after the Appeals Court ruling and told WILX, “I’m still open, still working until they cut my hands off.”
Breitbart News caught up with Manke during the recent “Operation Haircut” protest.
Kyle Olson / Breitbart NewsHe said the response during the protest and the support for his stand was “overwhelming,” and called himself “a Michigan small town barber that just wants to work.”
“This is an oppressive move on this governor’s part,” Manke said, observing that it “reflects almost a police state.”
“I refuse to stand down on this,” he said.
“I wasn’t this rock star three weeks ago,” Manke told Breitbart News, but Whitmer made him one.
He thanked God for the development.
“I’m still standing up. I still have that courage,” Manke said.
Manke’s full speech at the protest was aired on The Kyle Olson Show:
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays. Listen to segments on YouTube. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.
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