Public Health Authority Case Updates for January, February, and March 2022
January, 2022
Friday, 1/28 – A New York judge refused to grant a temporary injunction against the state mask rules and “Excelsior Pass,” finding insufficient evidence of irreparable harm.
Friday, 1/28 – A Minnesota judge denied a temporary restraining order requested by restaurants and nightclubs seeking to halt Minneapolis’s vaccine-or-test mandate
Thursday, 1/27 – A Massachusetts Appeals Court judge temporarily paused Boston’s vaccination mandate for city workers that was to go into effect Monday.
Tuesday, 1/25 – A judge in Nebraska refused to grant a temporary injunction sought by Nebraska AG Doug Peterson, to prohibit enforcement of the Omaha mask mandate issued by the Douglas County Health Director.
Monday, 1/24 – Seven Virginia school boards are challenging the governor’s executive order banning mask mandates. The previous Tuesday, a group of parents filed a lawsuit to block the order.
February, 2022
2/23: A federal court in the Western District of Michigan dismissed a class action lawsuit challenging Michigan State University’s vaccine mandate.
2/23: Along with officials from nine other states, the Kansas Attorney General filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to reopen litigation challenging Biden’s federal vaccine mandate for health care workers.
2/22: Opponents of Connecticut’s elimination of religious exemptions from childhood immunization requirements filed a new challenge in state court, after losing their case in federal court.
2/17: The Fifth Circuit ruled for a United Airlines pilot and flight attendant placed on unpaid leave after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons, finding that the plaintiffs had suffered irreparable harm, and remanding back to the trial court for consideration of other factors necessary to determining whether an injunction should issue. Plaintiffs sued the company for their vaccine mandate under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Judge Smith issued a 58-page dissent, describing the ruling as an “orgy of jurisprudential violence” and requesting en banc review.
2/17: A citizens group filed a lawsuit in federal court to block enforcement of San Diego’s vaccine mandate for city employees.
2/16: The Supreme Court will consider a renewed request from New York City teachers and staff to block a state vaccine mandate due to their religious objections. After Justice Sotomayor, who has jurisdiction over lower courts in New York, denied their request, plaintiffs directed a new request to Justice Gorsuch, who referred it to the full court for consideration.
2/16: Texas filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas against the CDC to end mask mandates on planes.
2/15: A federal judge granted an injunction ordering the Air Force to let an officer stay unvaccinated without penalties, until a final ruling is made.
2/15: A Massachusetts appellate judge granted an injunction blocking Boston’s vaccination mandate for city workers.
2/14: The New Jersey Supreme Court rejected police unions’ request for an emergency stay on Governor Murphy’s vaccine mandate for state and county correctional officers.
2/14: A UPS employee sued the company over its vaccine mandate in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Thursday, 2/10: A federal judge in Tampa heard a lawsuit brought by military members to stop the military vaccine mandate.
Wednesday, 2/9: The Fifth Circuit denied the federal government’s request for a stay to the nationwide preliminary injunction issued by a district judge suspending enforcement of the federal employee vaccination mandate.
Tuesday, 2/8: Connecticut teachers sued the Governor and the Department of Public Health Commissioner over testing requirements.
Tuesday, 2/8: Plaintiffs suing New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell over her city’s COVID-19 mandates have asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to take up their case without delay and issue a temporary restraining order on vaccination and indoor masking requirements.
Friday, 2/4: Sixteen states filed suit to stop the federal vaccine mandate for healthcare workers before the next compliance deadline goes into effect next week.
Friday, 2/4: A federal judge in Denver dismissed a lawsuit brought by contractors against the city for its vaccine mandate for city employees. March, 2022.
March, 2022
Wednesday, 3/30: A Massachusetts judge issued an injunction to stop the state from firing seven troopers who had applied for religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine and been denied.
Tuesday, 3/29: Missouri AG Eric Schmitt dropped a lawsuit over Kansas City’s former mask mandate.
Tuesday, 3/29: The San Diego Police Officers Association dropped its lawsuit challenging the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees after the city announced the approval of hundreds of exemptions for city workers.
Monday, 3/28: A federal judge granted class-action certification to US Navy members claiming religious exemptions to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The ruling prevents blocked the Navy from separating 4,095 sailors who submitted religious exemption requests.
Friday, 3/25: The Biden administration filed a motion to dismiss Oklahoma’s lawsuit over the National Guard’s vaccine mandate.
Friday, 3/25: The Supreme Court granted an emergency request from the Defense Department, blocking a lower court order that prevented the Navy from considering vaccination status in deployment decisions.
Thursday, 3/24: Attorneys expect lawsuits to follow New York City’s new exemption for athletes and performers from the city’s private sector vaccine mandate.
Wednesday, 3/23: A conservative evangelical group filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to end the mask mandate for U.S. air travel.
Wednesday, 3/23: A federal judge in Virginia granted a preliminary injunction that allows the families of children with disabilities and health challenges to request mask requirements at their schools.
Tuesday, 3/22: A group of Republican U.S. Senators filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the case Dr. A. v. Hochul in support of health care employees with religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccines.
Saturday, 3/19: The owner of an Alabama wine shop filed a lawsuit against Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama State Health Officer, saying her business was forced to close due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Thursday, 3/17: A Texas appellate court upheld the authority of Texas school districts to mandate masks.
Tuesday, 3/15: A group of airline pilots sued the CDC, seeking to end its mask mandate for commercial flights and airports. In addition to raising constitutional concerns, plaintiffs argued that in enacting the mandate, the CDC acted without statutory authorization and did not adequately follow the Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking process.
Monday, 3/14: Seventeen Republican members of Congress sued the CDC, seeking to end the federal mask mandate for commercial flights and airports.
Monday, 3/14: After the Missouri AG missed a court deadline in a lawsuit challenging Lee Summit schools’ now-expired mask mandate, the district asked the judge to issue a judgment in their favor. The AG sued dozens of districts in January over mask mandates.Tuesday, 3/8: The Fifth Circuit heard arguments regarding the federal employee vaccine requirement.
Monday, 3/7: The Department of Defense filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to reinstate a portion of its vaccine mandate that allows it to change a service member’s assignment if they are not vaccinated.
Monday, 3/7: A group of Michigan parents sued the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Chelsea School District over the county’s mask mandate, stating that although the mandate had expired, the lawsuit was still necessary “given the fact that such an order is capable of repetition and another order could be issued at any time in the future.”