The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge by Missouri and nine other states to President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers in health care facilities that receive federal funds.
In January, by a 5-4 vote, the court upheld the regulation, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In April, an appeals court declined to review the case, leading the 10 states to file a petition with the Supreme Court in May. The states claimed the mandate violates federal administrative law and infringed on state rights.
In the January ruling, the Supreme Court said the mandate was justified as just the kind of detailed regulations that CMS has long imposed as a condition for health care providers getting federal funds. In addition, the court said the regulation serves to protect patients from being exposed to greater risks.
The states challenging the ruling were Missouri, Nebraska, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
While approving the rule for health care workers, the high court stopped enforcement of a Biden administration vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers.
Information from NPR was used in this report.