Supreme Court Rules TSA Can Require Masks On Planes During ‘Public Health Emergencies’

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling Monday giving the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) the permission to mandate masks on planes during Public Health Emergencies.

QUICK FACTS:
  • The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the TSA can continue to require masks on planes during periods of Public Health Emergencies.
  • The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had originally ruled that the TSA had the power to mandate masks on planes as a measure for maintaining safety on transportation.
  • California lawyer Jonathan Corbett challenged the ruling, claiming the TSA was crossing a line of power. However the court denied the case, upholding the original ruling.
REPUBLICAN GOV. RON DESANTIS ON FLORIDA JUDGE FIGHTING THE SUPREME COURT OVER THE PLANE MASK MANDATE IN APRIL 2022:

“Great to see a federal judge in Florida follow the law and reject the Biden transportation mask mandate. Both airline employees and passengers deserve to have this misery end,” DeSantis said at the time.

BACKGROUND:
  • In April 2022, a federal judge in Florida struck down the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation, ruling that the order violated “the procedures required for agency rulemaking under the APA.”
  • The federal mandate requiring Americans to wear masks on planes and other public transportation was one of the last remaining COVID restrictions in place.
  • Earlier this year, 21 states sued the Biden administration in an attempt to end the mandate, claiming the enforcement “harms the states” and interfered with local laws.

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