Utah among five states successful in getting emergency stay of mandate

A federal appeals court in New Orleans has put a temporary halt to Pres. Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers. The stay came in response to a lawsuit filed by Utah and four other states, along with several private parties.

“Citizens of Utah can take courage that their elected leaders have confronted this unprecedented expansion of presidential power with a united front and that the courts are paying attention,” said Utah Attorney General Reyes in a statement.

In the statement, Reyes said that the ruling is an important step, but that he looks forward to more argument and litigation, as well as legislative action, on this issue.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay of the requirement issued earlier this month by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or submit to weekly testing and wear face masks.

Louisiana Attorney General Landry said the action stops Biden “from moving forward with his unlawful overreach. The president will not impose medical procedures on the American people without the checks and balances afforded by the Constitution,” Landry said in a statement. Louisiana was one of the states joining the lawsuit along with Utah, Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina.

At least 27 states have challenged the Biden mandate in various circuit courts across the country.