US Federal Appeals Court Halts Biden's Vaccine Mandate for Government Employees

The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has blocked President Joe Biden's order that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19. The ruling maintains the status quo for federal employee vaccines, upholding a preliminary injunction blocking the mandate issued by a federal judge in January 2022. The court rejected the Biden administration's argument that they have the same rights as a private corporation to mandate vaccines. The case will return to that court for further arguments, when "both sides will have to grapple with the White House's announcement that the COVID emergency will finally end on May 11, 2023."