A Florida federal judge has ruled against the CDC mask mandate for airports, planes and other forms of transportation, the New York Post reported.
US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, said that the mandate must be lifted due to the CDC lacking the authority to implement such the measures.
Mizelled in her ruling said that the agency failed to explain its decision and did not follow proper procedure when implementing the regulation.
“Because ‘our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends,’ the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,” said Mizelle in her ruling.
The court heard the case in response to a lawsuit filed in the summer by nonprofit Health Freedom Defense Fund representing two women who said that wearing masks on airplanes had given them panic attacks or made them worse.
The judge said that the only ruling possible was to lift the mandate for everyone because it would not be possible to remove it only for the two plaintiffs.
Last week, the CDC extended the transportation mask mandate for two more weeks. It had been set to end on Monday.