The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected in a unanimous ruling the Biden administration’s mandate that requires COVID-19 vaccination and face masks for employees working on federal contracts, Bloomberg Law reported Friday.
A panel of three judges from the federal appeals court in Ohio ruled that the U.S. president lacks the statutory authority under the federal procurement law to implement such an order for government contractors.
In December, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Fifth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling against the Biden administration’s requirement for contractors to ensure that their personnel are vaccinated against coronavirus in compliance with the September 2021 executive order.
On Tuesday, Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a two-time Wash100 awardee, issued a memorandum to rescind COVID-19 vaccination requirements for members of the U.S. armed forces in compliance with the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
