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A Florida judge overturns the CDC's mask mandate for planes and other public transit

By Rebecca Feldhaus Adams, Ken Barcus, NPR, Jonathan Franklin, NPR

Published April 18, 2022 at 10:17 PM EDT

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 28: A sign advises people to wear a mask and stand 6 ft apart as travelers make their way through Miami International Airport on December 28, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Over the holiday weekend, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reached their highest level in nearly a year. More than 2,000 flights were canceled over the weekend as airlines dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the federal mask mandate on planes, trains, buses and other modes of public transportation is "unlawful."

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle wrote in a summary filed Mondaythat the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has exceeded its authority and failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures in requiring passengers and employees to wear face coverings while in transit.

Just last week, the agency extended the transportation mask mandate (which had been set to expire originally on April 18) through May 3 — allowing officials to take more time to study the BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19.

The mask-wearing requirement had been initially imposed in early 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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