Pennsylvania Judges Strike Down School Mask Mandate

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

A court in Pennsylvania on Wednesday struck down an order that required masks in schools.

Acting Health Secretary Alison Beamโ€™s order, which also mandated masks in child care facilities, violated state laws outlining how regulations are promulgated, the Commonwealth Court said in a 4โ€“1 ruling.

Beam issued the order on Aug. 31 but Gov. Tom Wolf had not declared an emergency, which was required, said Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon, a Republican writing for the majority.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health โ€œdoes not have carte blanche authority to impose whatever disease control measures the Department of Health sees fit to implement without regard for the procedures for promulgating rules and regulations, expedited or otherwise,โ€ she added.

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Republican who challenged the mandate with a group of parents, cheered the decision.

โ€œTodayโ€™s ruling validates what we have said all alongโ€”mask decisions should be made by parents and school boards, NOT unelected bureaucrats. A blanket mandate does not address the unique needs and circumstances of individual communities, and it takes power away from the people who are in the best position to protect our kids,โ€ Corman said in a joint statement with state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward.

A spokesperson for Wolf, a Democrat, told news outlets that the authority of the secretary of health โ€œis clearly outlined in existing lawโ€ and that the decision was going to be appealed before the end of the day.

That would immediately block the decision, they said.

Judges Ellen Ceisler, a Democrat, and Republicans Mary Hannah Leavitt and Patricia McCullough joined Cannon.

Judge Michael Wojcik, a Democrat, dissented. He said the health secretary has the authority to take โ€œany disease control measure appropriate to protect the public from the spread of infectious diseaseโ€ and that her order was not a rule or regulation, which would be treated differently under state law.

Byย Zachary Stieber

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another โ€œ1-in-100 yearsโ€ weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated โ€œWeather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texasโ€.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted โ€œindependence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

โ€œThe Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Trial Begins Over Trump Adminโ€™s Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students

A trial over President Trumpโ€™s attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists began on July 7 with attorneys debating free speech.

Man Killed After Opening Fire at Border Patrol Facility in Texas

27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed after opening fire outside Border Patrol facility in McAllen, TX, prompting shootout with feds and local police.

California Rejects Federal Push to End Transgender Participation in School Sports

CA education officials are refusing to end policies allowing transgender students to participate in school sports consistent with their gender identities.

Amazon Prime Day Set to Lift US Online Sales by $23.8 Billion

Online spending in the United States is expected to surge by $23.8 billion during Amazonโ€™s expanded Prime Day event from July 8 to July 11.

Trump to Extend Tariff Deadline to Aug. 1, Keep Rates at 10 Percent During Talks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will sign the order to move the deadline to Aug. 1 from its current date of July 9.

DOJ, FBI Find Epstein Committed Suicide, Had No โ€˜Client Listโ€™

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and had no โ€œclient list,โ€ according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

National Weather Service Fully Staffed During Deadly Texas Flooding: White House

White House press sec. Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the National Weather Service had a full staff on hand to handle the Central Texas flooding.

US Removes Terrorist Designation for Al Qaeda Affiliate in Syria

The State Department has removed from its list of foreign terrorist organizations Al Qaedaโ€™s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
spot_img

Related Articles