A U.S. federal appeals court blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates on companies with more than 100 employees.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday issued a temporary stay, citing “grave statutory and constitutional” issues with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new guidelines.
The 5th Circuit will expedite a judicial review to block the stay permanently. For now, companies can’t enforce vaccine mandates on its employees.
The Biden administration has until Monday, Nov. 8, to file a response to the federal court’s stay.
In September, the U.S. President signed an executive order giving OSHA unprecedented authority over private companies that do business with the federal government.
Companies with at least 100 employees must require mRNA vaccinations or the unvaccinated must undergo weekly testing.
The vaccine mandates do not apply to remote employees, self-employed people who work from home, or employees who work outdoors.
OSHA finally published its new regulations that label the coronavirus as an occupational hazard in the workplace.
Governors rushed to file lawsuits against the OSHA guidelines. At least 25 governors said they would fight the mandates once the new OSHA rules were published.
OSHA delayed publishing the new guidelines for nearly two months while thousands of essential workers — nurses, doctors and police officers quit or lost their jobs.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of OSHA’s mandates.
