Appeals Court Extends Block of Employer Vaccine Mandate
Elizabeth Redden
November 15, 2021
A federal appeals court ruled Friday to keep in place a stay blocking a Biden administration rule requiring that large employers mandate their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing, The New York Times reported.
The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—all Republican appointees—sided with the challengers’ contention that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration overreached its authority in issuing the mandate. The Biden administration maintains it is within OSHA’s authority to require COVID-19 vaccination or testing in the workplace. Other challenges to the mandate are pending in other circuits, and it’s likely the issue will eventually end up in the Supreme Court.
