SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The federal vaccine mandate announced by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier this week has been put on hold Saturday afternoon.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals notified Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes of the order.
The official court document states:
“Before the court is the petitioners’ emergency motion to stay enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s November 5, 2021 Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Mandate”) pending expedited judicial review. Because the petitions give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate, the Mandate is hereby STAYED pending further action by this court.”
This announcement comes on the heels of Utah, along with four other states, filing a challenge to the federal vaccine mandate on Friday. Companies that employ over 100 people were mandated to implement COVID-19 vaccine measures, applying to about 84 million Americans.
Reyes released a statement regarding the mandate hold, saying:
“Citizens of Utah can take courage that their elected leaders have confronted this unprecedented expansion of presidential power with a united front and that the courts are paying attention,” said Attorney General Reyes. “While today’s victory is important, we look forward to further argument, litigation, and legislative action on all fronts to protect the constitutional liberties of our citizens.”
OSHA issued a temporary standard yesterday requiring vaccinations or weekly testing for employees of private businesses with more than 100 employees.
You can view the full court document here.
