US Court Orders Temporary Halt to Private Company Vaccine Mandates Citing Serious Legal Issues

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A U.S. court has raised constitutional issues regarding the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private workplaces and issued a suspension order.

On the 6th (local time), according to CNN, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decided to temporarily halt the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for companies with 100 or more employees. The court stated, "The government's vaccination mandate presents significant legal and constitutional issues," and announced, "Therefore, the vaccination mandate is suspended until further court action."

This ruling by the U.S. court came after several states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah, and some companies jointly petitioned the court. Earlier, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on the 4th that it would mandate employees at private workplaces with 100 or more workers to complete vaccination by January 4 next year. Those who do not get vaccinated must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and wear masks while working. Violations would result in fines of $14,000 (approximately 16 million KRW) per violation.

The number of U.S. workers subject to this measure is 84.2 million, of whom about 31 million are estimated to be unvaccinated. Previously, the Biden administration had already mandated vaccination for federal employees, military personnel, and subcontractor employees who do business with the federal government.

Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, tweeted, "I sued the Biden administration over OSHA's illegal vaccine mandate," adding, "We won. The fight is not over, and we will not stop resisting the government's unconstitutional overreach."

In addition, legal challenges against private company vaccine mandates in the U.S. continue, and numerous lawsuits are expected to be filed. The day before, attorneys general from 11 states including Missouri, Alaska, and Arizona filed a lawsuit against the vaccine mandate at the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorneys general from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio also filed lawsuits seeking to halt the vaccine mandate for federal contractors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.