Two years ago, as the pandemic descended, I think most of us were startled by how much power it turned out governors and administrators had to rule our lives.
In March 2020, Cato Institute legal expert Walter Olson told me that the Constitution does offer the executive branch and states significant authority to address threats to public safety — but those powers are supposed to come with a time limit.
“The government must put away these dangerous weapons once the emergency is over,” he said at the time.
