President Joe Biden does not appear to have the authority to require vaccines for employees of federal contractors and subcontractors, a federal court judge in Kentucky ruled Dec. 1. The ruling halts the mandate's implementation in that state, Ohio and Tennessee-which had sued-until the case's merits are decided. The states challenge as unconstitutional Biden's September order for contractors that took effect Oct. 15. It set vaccine rules in new contracts as of Nov. 14; required vaccine policies by Dec. 5; and mandated full employee vaccination by Jan. 18, with no testing for unvacci-nated workers. The U.S. had argued that previous court decisions support the mandate's legal basis and it noted non-discrimination rules for federal contractors that are stricter than for other companies.
展开▼
