AUSTIN – The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. Greg Abbott has the authority to call off local mask mandates in response to COVID-19 or any other disasters.
The court ruled in a case from Harris County that the county’s local disaster response authority does not supersede executive orders from the governor. The unanimous opinion rendered moot lawsuits from Dallas and Bexar counties filed after Abbott issued an executive order in 2021 banning mask mandates.
“We hold that, during a declared disaster, the Governor has the lawful authority to prohibit local officials from imposing mask requirements in response to a contagious disease,” Justice Jimmy Blacklock wrote for the court.
