Trump-appointed judge strikes down CDC mask mandate for public transport

A federal judge on Monday struck down the Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation imposed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida said the mask mandate exceeds the statutory authority of the CDC.

The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation was recently extended by the CDC until May 3 amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

US airlines and a number of Republican lawmakers have called for an end to the mask mandate, which was issued by the CDC on February 3, 2021.

Mizelle, an appointee of former Republican president Donald Trump, issued her ruling in a lawsuit filed in July 2021 by a conservative non-profit organization called the Health Freedom Defense Fund.

The judge said the mask mandate "exceeded the CDC's statutory authority," and the health organization had "failed to adequately explain its decisions."

"Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the Court declares unlawful and vacates the Mask Mandate," she said.