In a lawsuit against the Biden administration led by the state of Georgia, a federal judge has issued an order halting the enforcement of the vaccine mandate for federal contractors, which includes Auburn University.
"Given this development, Auburn is pausing enforcement of its vaccine policy," the University said in a newsletter sent to students, faculty and staff. "We will continue to monitor legal challenges to the most recent court order and communicate any further modifications in response to legal developments."
U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker, who gave the order to halt the enforcement of the mandate, said the blocking of the enforcement did not indicate that the vaccine was ineffective against stopping COVID-19, but rather that the Biden administration did not have the power to issue such an executive order.
According to Bloomberg News, representatives from Georgia universities testified in a hearing earlier this month that implementing the mandate would be expensive and cost them workers who have not given proof of vaccination.
The court found that the seven states that have challenged the mandate could likely prove that Congress does not give the president the power to make such a mandate.
Baker, who was nominated to his position by President Trump in 2017, said the mandate worked as a "regulation of public health," which goes beyond the power given to the president over federal contractors.
The University said further guidance for the mandate, which was set to take effect in January, would be provided before Dec. 17.
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Trice Brown, senior in english language arts education, is the multimedia editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
