January 1, Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

The Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s workplace vaccine-or-test mandate, but it upheld the requirement for most of the country’s health care workers.

The high court’s conservative majority ruled 6-3 to halt the mandate for large employers, saying that the administration had acted outside its authority. President Joe Biden’s order would’ve affected more than 80 million people.

“[The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress. Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the COVID–19 pandemic, it has declined to enact any measure similar to what OSHA has promulgated here,” the justices wrote in the majority opinion.

Justices decided 5-4 to keep the requirement in place for healthcare workers. The mandate, enforced by the Department of Health and Human Services, requires employees of medical facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid to be vaccinated.

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Supreme Court halts COVID-19 vaccine rule for US businesses