A Quirky Ping-Pong Ball Lottery Just Dealt a Blow to Biden ’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

A peculiar ping-pong ball lottery—think: the NBA draft, only required by federal law—on Tuesday dimmed the fate of the Biden Administration’s new mandate governing COVID-19 vaccine requirements for large employers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the emergency rule on Nov. 4 and it was almost immediately challenged. More than two dozen Republican-led states, as well as companies, business groups, unions, and religious organizations filed nearly three dozen lawsuits challenging the mandate. While the majority of the lawsuits argued that the government had overstepped its authority, some made the case that the rule didn’t go far enough to protect workers. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In a bad sign for Biden’s mandate, the lottery consolidated all these cases under the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, where a majority of the justices have been appointed by Republican presidents. While justices do not necessarily rule along party lines, the judiciary has become increasingly partisan in recent years. Former President Donald Trump appointed a record number of appellate judges during his time in office, with his picks now making up 30% of active appeals court judges. This expanded the conservative majorities of several circuit courts, including the Sixth Circuit, effectively reshaping the judiciary at the highest level below the Supreme Court. The Fifth Circuit, a right-leaning appeals court, already put th...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news