The role that the federal government plays in containing future epidemics will hinge on the outcome of an appeal of last week’s court ruling that overturned the mask mandate for travelers on airlines, trains and the nation’s mass transit systems.
A federal court judge in Florida said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had overstepped its authority in requiring masks on public transportation, a mandate that legal experts considered well within the bounds of the agency’s charge to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the nation.
The CDC said late Wednesday it had asked the Department of Justice to appeal the decision, and the DOJ has done so. That will put the issue before one of the nation’s most conservative-leaning appellate courts, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
