A federal appeals court has temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Saturday granted an emergency stay of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4, or face mask requirements and weekly tests.
A group of businesses, religious groups, advocacy organizations and states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah and Texas, filed a petition Friday with the court, arguing that the administration had overstepped its authority.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the court action halts President Joe Biden “from moving forward with his unlawful overreach.”
Biden has encouraged widespread vaccinations as the quickest way out of the pandemic.
Such circuit decisions normally apply to states within a district — Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, in this case — but Landry said the language employed by the judges gave the decision a national scope.
At least 27 states - including Florida - filed lawsuits challenging the rule in several circuits. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Florida will join Georgia, Alabama and private plaintiffs in filing a legal challenge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta,
Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda said the administration is fully prepared to defend the safety rules.
Read more of this article from the Associated Press.
