In yet another win for Republicans this week, a U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Georgia ruled on Tuesday afternoon that the Biden administration is to temporarily halt all vaccine mandates for federal contractors nationwide, effective immediately.
The nationwide injunction applies to all 50 states and U.S. territories, respectively.
U.S. District Judge Stan Baker suggested in the order that President Joe Biden may have overstepped his Constitutional authority by issuing the mandates in the first place. He referenced the Procurement Act to this regard.
“The Court acknowledges the tragic toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought throughout the nation and the globe,” Baker wrote, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. “However, even in times of crisis, this Court must preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the bounds of their constitutionally granted authorities.”
The vaccine mandates would have affected millions of federal workers, especially as the vaccination deadline quickly approaches next month.
Georgia’s own Attorney General Chris Carr celebrated the temporary injunction on social media, saying that the recent ruling is a result “of our own lawsuit and marks the third of Biden’s vaccine mandates to be stopped by the courts.”
Just last week, a federal district court in Kentucky similarly halted enforcement of vaccine mandates within the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Another district court in Louisiana sided with South Carolina’s Attorney General Alan Wilson and blocked vaccination requirements there, as well.
South Carolina’s lawsuit cited an argument that President Biden does not hold the authority to mandate vaccines because Wilson believes it violates the Tenth Amendment, among other reasons. The Biden administration has struck out in court yet again. That is because the President does not respect the rule of law but only the abuse of power,” Attorney General Wilson said in his press release. “Our brave healthcare workers should not be subjected to such overreach by a President who wishes to rule by force.”
In addition, the Biden administration was forced to halt vaccine and testing requirements for businesses with 100 or more employees during the month of November.
This also follows a Nov. 30 ruling that halted Biden’s vaccine mandate for all healthcare workers.
Although private employers and hospitals may still legally require inoculations, there’s at least a plausible legal challenge on the public side, and it appears to be working.
