Judge Temporarily Halts Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors
The move blocks a nationwide vaccine requirement for Federal contractors and subcontractors to have employees being fully vaccinated by Jan. 18, 2022.
A U.S. district court judge has halted enforcement of the Biden Administration’s nationwide vaccine mandate for Federal contractors and subcontractors.
Judge R. Stan Baker, in Augusta, Ga., issued a stay to bar enforcement of a Federal task force’s Sept. 9 requirement that new, renewed, or extended Federal contracts hinged on employees being fully vaccinated by Jan. 18, 2022.
Baker’s decision resulted from a lawsuit raised by contractors, including the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., as well as Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia. The judge made the decision after finding the states and contractors would likely succeed in their suit.
The news follows a federal judge in Kentucky issuing a preliminary injunction against the mandate last week for contractors in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
Also, on Nov. 30, a Louisiana federal judge blocked the implementation of CMS’ Interim Final Rule requiring certain health care facilities to have a fully vaccinated staff by Jan. 4, 2022. And earlier that month, on Nov. 12, OSHA suspended its Emergency Testing Standard for vaccinations and testing for employers with 100 or more employees after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stayed enforcement of the ETS.