Judge Strikes Down DeSantis Order Banning Mask Mandates in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2021. Marta Lavandier/AP Photo

A Florida judge struck down on Aug. 27 a ban on mask mandates issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis that targeted local school districts.

Tallahassee-based Judge John Cooper, who was elected to his position in 2002, ruled that DeSantis and the Florida Board of Education’s actions against mask mandates for children don’t have “legal authority” and are “arbitrary.”