The Biden administration asked an appeals court on April 11 to reinstate the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate following a critical legal victory last week, while the White House’s COVID-19 coordinator said the administration is willing to prolong the mask mandate based on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decision.
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed a January nationwide injunction order by Judge Jeffrey Brown—appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by former President Donald Trump—ruling that the federal judge didn’t have jurisdiction in the case. The panel noted that those seeking a challenge should have pursued administrative remedies under civil service law.
