Federal Vaccine Mandate For Companies Temporarily Halted By Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a new rule that mandates companies with more than 100 employees to create a plan to have all of their workers vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo routine testing for the virus.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on the rule following a petition filed by Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Utah, along with several businesses and advocacy groups. The new rule is also facing several other legal challenges.

The court gave the Biden administration until 5 p.m. on Monday (November 8) to respond to the request for a permanent injunction while the legal challenge continues.

The new rule, which was put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, applies to over 84 million workers. The rule is slated to take effect on January 4.

The Biden administration has not commented on the ruling but is expected to appeal the court's decision.

"It's not the end of the battle, but I'm excited because it gives people hope that they aren't going to lose their jobs and the president isn't going to be able to ruin people's careers and make their lives more difficult," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.