Michigan Court of Appeals sides with state against Owosso barber, orders him to shut down shop

LANSING, Mich. - The Owosso barber who defied the state order has lost his case in the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Karl Manke, who continued cutting hair at his barbershop despite calls to close over concerns of spreading COVID-19 was ordered to "immediately cease all operations" after a three-judge panel sided with the state health department.

Manke initially won his first court appearance after a Shiawassee County Circuit Judge claimed the state hadn't provided enough evidence that keeping the barbershop open presented an immediate threat to public health. 

In a 2-1 ruling with Judge Stephen Borrello writing the majority opinion, the court determined Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay home order encompassed Manke's barbershop and that it should close.

Borrello's opinion also said the Shiawassee County Circuit Judge made an error when determining the importance of the state's chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun's affidavit that laid out why the barbershop posed a public health risk.

RELATED: Owosso barber battles with State for refusing to stay closed during COVID-19 pandemic

The Shiawassee-based barber had become somewhat of a celebrity in conservative circles after openly defying the state's order to shut down, drawing crowds from around the state.

"I had to get back to work. I feel that it's my right to work," the barber said earlier in May. 

Manke told the Associated Press that he doesn't care what the appeals court said and that he'll continue to cut hair.

The Associated Press contributed to this report