Federal Judge Tosses Biden's Travel Mask Mandate
As America begins to finally open her eyes from this sleepy, strange COVID nightmare, we are starting to see parts of our society get back to something that almost looks normal.
Families are gathering with confidence once again. Churches are open and congregating. Hospital staffs are beginning to get some rest.
And, perhaps the most salient of the symbols of our return to life, is the prevalence of bare faces in the grocery store, in the restaurant, and in the entertainment venues…and soon to be airplanes and trains too.
A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials.
The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking according to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
There wasn’t any wiggle room in the ruling, either.
“The court concludes that the mask mandate exceeds the CDC’s statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking under the APA,” the judge wrote. “Accordingly, the court vacates the mandate and remands it to the CDC.”
Airlines have been lobbying Congress for months to change the rule, pointing to a number of high profile incidents of violence in which arguments over proper mask-wearing erupted into physical altercations.
