In Court, Abbott, DeSantis Face Challenges Over Their Mask Mandate Bans
Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : August 23, 2021Despite governors’ efforts to ban mask mandates in Texas and Florida, these efforts have lost ground as final court rulings are pending. Texans were disappointed on Thursday when their state’s Supreme Court rejected Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to block a temporary restraining order that says mask mandates will not be enforced. A lower court’s decision to allow school districts to require masks in school stands as a result of a court’s temporary decision to allow that practice.
Abbott, DeSantis Face Challenges Over Their Mask Mandate Bans
A Texas Education Agency official said the same day that mask mandate requirements would be temporarily suspended while litigation continues. Even though they are interim, the actions that reinforce Abbott’s order could be challenged in both courtrooms and by school districts alike. As COVID-19 case numbers surge and hospitals are overburdened, the Texas Supreme Court blocked two of the largest counties in the country from imposing mask mandates.
During returning to school, county officials in Dallas and San Antonio implemented policies requiring masks that have been met with opposition from the state’s high court which is entirely composed of elected Republicans. A total of more than 11,500 patients have been hospitalized in Texas since January after being infected with the virus.
Dallas and San Antonio officials refused to abide by the ruling when the Texas Supreme Court upheld the mask mandate ban on Sunday, but many still found ways around it. A recent test for COVID-19 by Abbott, who has stood by his executive order despite public defiance, was positive for this disease. The monoclonal antibody treatment Regeneron offers him is being conducted by the company.
It has been reported that Coronavirus levels in Texas have reached levels seen during the peak of winter. The California Department of Health Services reports that 66% of the Texas population has been vaccinated.
The case filed by parents against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask ban for schools has been allowed to go forward, a judge ruled Thursday. As a result, the state attempted to have the case dismissed. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said that these parents and their children have the right to have their cases heard in court. The governor’s order remains on hold pending Cooper’s decision, which means a hearing will be held next week.
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While the Texas Education Agency has been threatening to fine districts that do not comply with the mask mandate, the Florida Department of Education says it will fine two districts within 48 hours no matter where the litigation stands. Despite numerous opportunities by the Florida Department of Education to resolve the issue amicably, the agency had no luck, according to a statement released by the agency.
According to reports, Vice President Biden directed his chief education official to use the full might of the White House against governors who are blocking school officials from implementing mask mandates such as Abbott and DeSantis. I’ve said this before, but I’ll repeat it here: if you’re not going to fight COVID-19, then just get out of the way of the rest of us. Governors won’t be able to intimidate or block educators protecting our children if they are trying to block them.”
Abbott and DeSantis want to defy Biden in the public spotlight by making a show of making it clear that a candidate from former President Donald Trump will not be allowed to run in 2024.
This week, Abbott wrote a tweet that said Biden has gone after Republican Governors with a more aggressive tone than he has the Taliban. The immigration laws passed by Congress will not be enforced, regardless of his legal strategy against Republican governors.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.