U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Vaccine-Or-Test Mandate For Large Companies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for large private companies on Thursday after a legal challenge from Ohio and other states.

The Biden administration, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued a mandate requiring companies with more than 100 employees to mandate their staff receive a COVID-19 vaccine or get tested weekly for the coronavirus. Ohio and 26 other states sued to stop the law from being implemented.

On Thursday, a majority of the court's justices found that OSHA's mandate overstepped its authority, lacked historical precedent and was "untethered, in any causal sense, from the workplace."

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who led the coalition of states opposing the mandate, celebrated the court's decision, calling it a victory for individual freedoms.

“Americans have lost too much to this disease already — all of us want this pandemic to end — but it is critical that we do not lose our Constitution, too,” Yost said in a statement. “Today’s ruling protects our individual rights and states’ rights to pursue the solutions that work best for their citizens.”

Three justices dissented from the majority: Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. They argued the majority's decision was overtly political, ripping authority from the president and lawmakers.

Biden also lamented the decision. "I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has chosen to block common-sense life-saving requirements for employees at large businesses that were grounded squarely in both science and the law," he said in a statement.

Health Care Exception

While the Supreme Court blocked vaccine mandates for large, private employers, it did allow the implementation of vaccine mandates for medical facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid.

"Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the requirement for health care workers will save lives: the lives of patients who seek care in medical facilities, as well as the lives of doctors, nurses, and others who work there," Biden said in a statement. "It will cover 10.4 million health care workers at 76,000 medical facilities. We will enforce it."

The president promised to enforce the mandate as quickly as possible.

Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented from the majority. They argued that while COVID-19 vaccines may be effective, mandating their uptake falls outside of the government's authority.