DOJ asks federal appeals court to reverse order lifting travel mask mandate

The U.S. Justice Department filed a brief in federal appeals court Tuesday to overturn a federal judge's decision that declared the government mask mandate on planes, trains and buses unlawful. Here, a sign stating that masks are required at San Francisco International Airport stands in a terminal after the federal mask mandate was overturned. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to overturn last month's court decision by a federal judge that declared the mandate requiring masks on airplanes and other public transportation unlawful.

In a 48-page document filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department argues that the order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early 2021 "falls easily within the CDC's statutory authority."