A U.S. district judge in Louisiana on Tuesday paused President Joe Biden’s mandate that all health care workers and contractors get vaccinated against COVID-19. Judge Terry Doughty issued a nationwide temporary injunction against the order in response to a challenge by Louisiana’s attorney general, who praised the ruling. The order from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services required workers at facilities that receive funding from the agency to receive at least one dose by Dec. 6 and both by Jan. 4, 2022. Doughty wrote, “During a pandemic such as this one, it is even more important to safeguard the separation of powers set forth in our Constitution to avoid erosion of our liberties.” On Monday, a federal judge in Missouri temporarily blocked the mandate in 10 states.
