Texas Supreme Court Rules Against Abbott

As schools and local authorities across the state continue fighting Governor Greg Abbott’s prohibition of mask mandates, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled to allow Travis County’s school mask order.

Issued on Thursday, the ruling denies Abbott’s request to block a Travis County Judge’s temporary restraining order to the Governor’s mask-prohibiting wishes.

The move comes as local authorities claim the Republican official has been abusing his emergency powers to put children at risk, as schools prepare to receive students for in-person learning amidst the most critical point in the pandemic yet.

In response to the governor’s handling of the health crisis, both local authorities and schools have been leading a legal battle to comply with the CDC’s guidelines, instituting mask mandates even against Abbott’s executive order.

According to the San Antonio Express, the Supreme Court’s ruling is yet another warning sign for Abbott, as dozens of Texas school districts defy him by requiring children to wear masks on campus, given that his prohibition of local mask mandates since the spring drew withering criticism from the White House and local officials, who argue the mandates are needed to protect vaccine-ineligible students amid a spike in COVID infections.

This is, however, not the first ruling against Abbott’s efforts to ban mask mandates. Also on Thursday, Texas’ 4th Court of Appeals upheld San Antonio and Bexar County’s mask requirement for schools and their own facilities.