A federal appeals court in New Orleans temporarily halted nationwide implementation of the Biden administration’s mandate that all employees at companies with more than 100 workers must get Covid-19 vaccinations by Jan. 4, Trend reports citing Bloomberg.
The request to stall the mandate came late Friday from more than two dozen private companies suing the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Labor Department, as part of a court challenge led by Texas, Louisiana, Utah and South Carolina.
The New Orleans court temporarily halted the vaccine mandate while the court further considers the matter. A three-judge panel, including two Donald Trump appointees, gave the Biden administration until 5 p.m. Central time Monday to respond. A senior U.S. Labor Department official expressed confidence that the requirement is legal and said it’s ready to defend the mandate in court.
“Because the petitioners gave cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional concerns,” the judges granted the request to temporarily halt the implementation, according to the court filing issued Saturday.
The private employers complained OSHA’s vaccine mandate oversteps the executive branches’ authority, which they claim doesn’t extend to ending pandemics through public health directives.