Texas governor says anyone who defies state ban on mask mandates will be taken to court

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has asked an appeals court to strike down a masking requirement imposed by a country judge and promised more lawsuits against officials who rebel against his ban on mask mandates.

Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that they had filed a petition asking the 5th Court of Appeals to strike down an order by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who instructed businesses, public schools, child daycare centers and government offices to require indoor mask-wearing.  

The governor banned Texas officials from imposing any form of a mask mandate in May, under the threat of a fine of up to $1,000. He said wearing a mask should be a personal choice and pointed to vaccines and other health practices as the best way to defeat Covid-19.  

“Any school district, public university, or local government official that decides to defy [the ban] – which prohibits gov’t entities from mandating masks – will be taken to court,” Abbott wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility, not government mandates.” 

Paxton blasted Judge Jenkins, saying it was not “the first time we have dealt with activist characters.” 

“Attention-grabbing judges and mayors have defied executive orders before, when the pandemic first started, and the courts ruled on our side – the law,” the attorney general said. 

Jenkins responded by accusing the Republican governor of “putting party politics above our families’ health and safety.” He earlier argued that mask requirements are necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus and, in particular, its more contagious Delta variant.   

Several Republican-controlled US states have banned the use of ‘vaccination passports’ and at least seven banned mask mandates in schools at a state level, according to CNN.

Democrat-controlled states are moving in a different direction by requiring masking in schools. 

On Wednesday, California became the first US state to order its teachers and other school staff to either be vaccinated or tested regularly for Covid-19. Governor Gavin Newsom said the measure was a “responsible step” to ensure the safety of children.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!