Two Counties in Limbo After Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Mask Mandates

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Dallas and Bexar Counties are in limbo after the Texas Supreme Court temporarily halted lower court rulings that allowed local government agencies and school districts to implement mask mandates, which defy an order from Governor Greg Abbott (R). A hearing on the temporary injunction is expected today.

“Sunday’s ruling affects Dallas and Bexar Counties, which had both reinstated some form of mask mandate in recent days,” as noted by CBS News. “In Dallas County, a judge ruled last week that masks would be required inside schools and businesses. In Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, a lower court ruled on Friday that local leaders had the authority to mandate masks in schools.”

“The City of San Antonio and Bexar County’s response to the Texas Supreme Court continues to emphasize that the Governor cannot use his emergency powers to suspend laws that provide local entities the needed flexibility to act in an emergency,” San Antonio City Attorney Andy Segovia said in a statement. “His suspension authority is meant to facilitate action, not prohibit it,” Segovia noted.

Abbott had issued. an executive order against mask requirements on July 29.

“The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates,” he said in a statement last week. “The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”