In a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court finally ruled on Thursday afternoon to block the Biden administration’s Covid-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for workplaces with 100 or more employees.
In an unsigned opinion, concurring with Justice Thomas and Justice Alito, Justice Gorsuch stated “The question before us is not how to respond to the pandemic, but who holds the power to do so. The answer is clear: Under the law as it stands today, that power rests with the States and Congress, not OSHA.”
However, this doesn’t mean healthcare workers are completely off the hook. According to SCOTUSblog, doctors and nurses that work at federally funded hospitals and health care facilities remain subject to OSHA’s controversial vaccine requirement.
The ruling comes exactly three days after OSHA’s vaccine mandate was supposed to take effect.
OSHA’s mandate originally required public and private workers with 100 employees or more to either be fully vaccinated or be subject to weekly Covid-19 testing. The mandate also required unvaccinated workers to wear masks indoors.
This represents a huge win for conservatives and Republican leaders alike that had been fighting the Biden administration’s mandates and excess governmental overreach at both a state and federal level.
Everyone can sleep a little more soundly knowing that the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances in this country continues to function in accordance to the U.S. Constitution.
