A federal court has permanently blocked the Biden administration’s attempted vaccine and mask mandate for preschool teachers and students involved in specific federal programs.
The challenge, filed by Louisiana and several state attorneys general, including Alabama’s Steve Marshall, was in response to the Head Start Mandate.
Head Start is a federal program aiming to improve the school readiness of infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children from low-income families.
The Head Start Mandate required all program staff and volunteers working in classrooms or directly with children and contractors whose activities involve contact with children and families to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Jan. 31, 2022.
The mandate also required immediate masking by all individuals two years of age or older when indoors, outdoors, during activities that involve close contact with other people, and when two or more people were in a vehicle owned, leased or arranged by the Head Start Program.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty ruled in favor of Louisiana, cementing a previous injunction against the mandate issued in a lower court in December of 2021.
“Today’s court victory permanently closes the door to Biden’s unlawful order in Alabama and the 23 other states which were part of our litigation,” Marshall said. “It guarantees that Alabama’s Head Start teachers, staff, volunteers and students remain free to make their own choices over COVID vaccination and free from requirements to force masks on toddlers.”
The geographic scope of the permanent Injunction will be limited to the 24 plaintiff states: Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
“As with our other successful lawsuits targeting a coordinated Biden administration effort to force Americans to submit to vaccinations and masking, we have again triumphed over the heavy hand of government acting without legal authority,” Marshall concluded.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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