A three-judge panel of the Louisiana-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday extended its stay of the Biden administration's workplace vaccine rule, saying the groups challenging the requirement "show a great likelihood of success on the merits." The emergency workplace safety rule would require companies with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workers either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or masked and tested weekly, starting in January.
"A stay is firmly in the public interest," wrote Judge Kurt Engelhardt, an appointee of former President Donald Trump. "From economic uncertainty to workplace strife, the mere specter of the Mandate has contributed to untold economic upheaval in recent months." He said the rule, from the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), "grossly exceeds OSHA's statutory authority," imposes an undue financial burden on companies, and may violate the Commerce Clause. His opinion was joined by Judges Stuart Kyle Duncan, also a Trump appointee, and Edith Jones, put on the court by former President Ronald Reagan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Make mine a soju and tonic: the rise of Korea's favourite spiritThe Week Recommends The rice-based drink can replace gin or vodka in traditional cocktails for a refreshing twist on the classics
-
The full moon calendar for every monthIn depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
-
The end of Weight WatchersTalking Point The diet brand has filed for bankruptcy in the US as it struggles to survive in era of weight-loss jabs
-
The sneaking rise of whooping coughUnder the Radar The measles outbreak isn't the only one to worry about
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measlesSpeed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study findsSpeed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influenceSpeed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreadsSpeed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozensSpeed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study findsSpeed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
