A Florida judge has struck down the Covid-19 mandate requiring Americans to wear masks on planes and other public transportation, saying President Joe Biden’s administration overstepped its authority and failed to properly justify its decision.
US District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa made her ruling just five days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its transportation mask mandate to at least May 3. She vacated the original mask order, sending it back to the CDC for “further proceedings.”
“The court concludes that the mask mandate exceeds the CDC’s statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking . . .,” the judge said in her ruling. “Accordingly, the court vacates the mandate and remands it to the CDC.”