Vaccine mandate for federal employees awaits court ruling

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 is awaiting judgment from a federal appeals court after arguments in New Orleans. An administration attorney told the court Tuesday that a federal judge in Texas was wrong to block the mandate. Opponents of the vaccine mandate say the Biden mandate amounts to illegal coercion. Three judges with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the arguments. Biden administration lawyers pointed out that a dozen other U.S. district courts upheld the employee mandate before Judge Jeffrey Brown blocked the requirement nationwide. It’s not clear when the appellate panel will rule.