Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Biden Vaccine Mandates

The Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments regarding the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for large employers and health-care workers at Medicaid- and Medicare-affiliated facilities.

The Court said it will hear arguments in the expedited cases on January 7, in a brief order released on Wednesday. A number of individuals and organizations have urged the Court to take up the cases of the mandates, which have already been challenged in lower courts.

The Labor Department announced on Saturday that it would delay full enforcement of the employer mandate, originally set to take effect on January 4, because of confusion created by lower court challenges. The Department’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration ordered companies with 100 or more employees to mandate coronavirus vaccines for all workers, with weekly testing for workers who choose not to be vaccinated.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the mandate on Friday in a 2-1 ruling. Judge Jane Stranch, an appointee of former President Obama, wrote in her ruling that “the harm to the Government and the public interest outweighs any irreparable injury to the individual Petitioners who may be subject to a vaccination policy.”