A federal appeals court has blocked the implementation of the federal government’s mandate regarding COVID vaccination for large employers.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay on Nov. 6 for the mandate, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 4. The rule, issued through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, states that employees of firms with more than 100 workers will have to either be fully vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID tests.
The appeals court was responding to a lawsuit by governments of several Republican-governed states and private businesses. It said that the plaintiffs "give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate."
It wasn’t immediately clear what impact the court’s ruling would have. The government has until the end of Nov. 8 to reply.
One legal expert consulted by CNN said the ruling was “pretty shocking” because the mandate would not go into effect for months. The matter could go to another appeals court, under a process known as “the multicircuit lottery,” or the U.S Justice Department could ask the Supreme Court to decide the matter immediately.
