The Biden administration’s mandate for federal contractors’ employees to be vaccinated will be halted nationwide amid a series of challenges from states that say the president overstepped his authority in requiring the COVID-19 shots, according to Bloomberg Law.
The mandate, which was set to take effect Jan. 4, applies to about a quarter of the U.S. workforce and affects companies that do business with the federal government.
A federal judge in Georgia blocked the mandate Dec. 7. The latest order follows a Kentucky federal judge’s grant last week of a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit involving Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
The government contractor mandate led to a series of federal lawsuits from states seeking to block its implementation, including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. They argue the administration lacks the authority to require vaccinations and the mandates violate the U.S. Constitution.
