A D.C. Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on city employees is unlawful.
An order that was handed down by Judge Maurice A. Ross was a response to a lawsuit filed by the D.C. Police Union and other groups that opposed Mayor Muriel Bowser’s mandate. Bowser in August of last year ordered city government employees to provide proof of vaccination although some workers could seek a medical or religious exemption to the shot.
Ross also argued that the legal “system does not permit the Mayor to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends,” including curbing COVID-19, adding that “the Mayor lacks legal authority to impose a vaccine mandate on Plaintiffs.”
The judge rejected city lawyers’ arguments that Bowser could impose a vaccine mandate in her capacity to regulate occupational and workplace hazards. The Biden administration made a similar claim to the U.S. Supreme Court last year on its vaccine mandate for private businesses before the court struck the rule down in January.
Response
It means the city can’t enforce the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, disciplinary actions that were taken to enforce compliance can be reversed, according to Ross’s ruling.The DC Police Union praised the decision and said it will ensure that its officers won’t be terminated or forced to take the vaccine.
The office of Bowser, a Democrat, issued a statement Friday to WUSA9 in response to the ruling.
“We are reviewing the Court’s ruling, and believe that the judge misunderstood the strength and diversity of the authorities we relied upon in issuing the employee vaccination mandate,” the statement said, adding that “going forward, we will comply with the Court’s orders as we continue encouraging our community to access life-saving vaccines.”