On Monday, a New York judge struck down the state’s indoor mask mandate.
Background: In March 2020, the New York State Assembly gave then-Gov. Cuomo authority to make directives he thought were needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A year later, the State Assembly voted o eliminated those powers and the state of emergency expired in June.
In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she was extending the state’s indoor mask mandate.
Three weeks later, The New York State Health Department extended the order two more weeks, keeping it intact until Feb 1.
What Happened: On Monday, Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Thomas Rademaker ruled that Gov. Hochul didn’t have the authority to enact such a wide-spanning order. Rademakers says that Gov. Hochul’s indoor mandate must first be passed by the state legislature.
Rademaker said the policy must be “tailored, necessarily related, and attached to a law that the State Legislature has passed.” (per The Hill)
Context: This serves as the latest setback for Democrat lawmakers looking to implement Covid-19 mandates.
The Supreme Court recently struck down President Biden’s private employer vaccine mandate.
What Gov. Hochul Says: The New York governor says she plans to fight the ruling.
“My responsibility as Governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Hochul said in a statement. “We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.” (per The Hill)
