Texas Supreme Court Rules Mandatory Mask Orders Implemented by School Districts ILLEGAL

To all Texans: PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANNOT MANDATE MASKS. Period,’ says attorney general.’Mask mandates across our state are illegal, and judges must abide by the law. Further non-compliance will result in more lawsuits,’ Paxton added.

Source: Adan Salazar

The Texas Supreme Court upheld Governor Greg Abbott’s authority to issue a ban on school districts implementing compulsory mask orders, effectively nullifying mask mandates put in place in districts throughout the state.

On Thursday, the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Blake A. Hawthorne, wrote the governor maintains the legal authority to make the government’s decisions “both on the state and local levels.”

“This case, and others like it, are not about whether people should wear masks or whether the government should make them do it,” Hawthorne wrote.

“Rather, these cases ask courts to determine which government officials have the legal authority to decide what the government’s position on such questions will be.”

“The status quo, for many months, has been gubernatorial oversight of such decisions at both the state and local levels. That status quo should remain in place while the court of appeals, and potentially this Court, examine the parties’ merits arguments to determine whether plaintiffs have demonstrated a probable right to the relief sought.”

Many media outlets, most of which are pro-mask, downplayed the major development in reports, with some news agencies claiming the high court’s ruling was merely a “pause” on mandates and “temporary,” and that it only affected San Antonio’s mask mandate.

However, statements by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who lauded the decision, made the ruling’s intent clear – it is meant across the board.

“The Texas Supreme Court has sided with the law, and the decision to enforce mask mandates lies with the governor’s legislatively-granted authority,” Paxton said. “Mask mandates across our state are illegal, and judges must abide by the law. Further non-compliance will result in more lawsuits.”

Paxton went even further, telling parents to report schools if they are still implementing masks.