By The FirstThe Department of Justice formally appealed a judge’s ruling this week to reimpose the federal mask mandate on public transportation like airplanes and trains.
“The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to overturn a U.S. District Court judge’s April order that declared the government mandate requiring masks on airplanes, buses and in transit hubs unlawful,” reports Reuters.
“None of the district court’s quarrels with the CDC order comes close to showing that the CDC has acted outside the ‘zone of reasonableness,'” the Justice Department wrote, adding “ample support for the agency’s determination that there was good cause to make the order effective without delay.”
Major airlines like Delta and American urged the Biden administration to drop the mandate ahead of the busy summer travel season; arguing nearly all passengers and crew were either vaccinated or had acquired natural immunity.
