Wyoming Joins Lawsuit to Block OSHA Vaccine Mandate Rule

In a press release, Governor Mark Gordon said Wyoming asked the Supreme Court to halt implementation of the emergency temporary standard issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which mandates vaccines for businesses with 100 or more employees.

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The mandate issued by President Joe Biden would have directed OSHA to fine companies that don't have their employees vaccinated or submit weekly tests.

Because of the court battles, currently OSHA will not issue fines until the order until Jan. 10, and won't issue any fines for not following the testing requirements until Feb. 9.

On Saturday, 27 states filed an emergency application for a stay with the U.S. Supreme Court after the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a previous decision and allowed the vaccine mandate to move ahead on Dec. 17.

Gordon said on the decision by the 6th circuit court:

"While we are disappointed with the decision of the 6th Circuit's panel, we immediately requested that the Supreme Court halt this mandate and hear this case," Gordon said. "This overreaching rule exceeds OSHA’s authority and threatens the rights of Wyoming citizens and her industries."

The states asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the nationwide stay of the vaccine mandate issued by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh has asked the Biden administration to respond to the appeals by the 27 states by Dec. 30, with the court planning to take up the case in early 2022.

While the Supreme Court will take up the case, they aren't considering whether to keep the mandate or not, but whether they will halt the OSHA requirement as the actual case against the requirement can make its way through the courts.

The Wyoming legislature passed a bill in their general session in November that gaves $4 million to state's attorney general for cases regarding COVID-19, but Michael Pearlman, communications director for the governor's office, said this case does not need to use those funds.