The Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for large businesses. The mandate required that all employees of businesses with 100 or more employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly. The court ruled that the mandate exceeded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) authority.
The 6-3 decision was split along ideological lines, with the court’s three liberal justices dissenting. The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, argued that the OSHA mandate was “a dramatic expansion of OSHA’s regulatory authority” and that it was “not well-suited to address the unique challenges posed by COVID-19.”
The decision is a major victory for businesses and for Republican-led states, which had challenged the mandate in court. It is also a setback for the Biden administration, which had hoped to use the mandate to boost vaccination rates and slow the spread of the virus.
The decision is likely to have a significant impact on the workplace. Businesses will now be free to decide for themselves whether to require their employees to be vaccinated. This could lead to a patchwork of vaccination requirements across the country.
The decision is also likely to have a political impact. The Biden administration is likely to face pressure from Democrats to take other steps to boost vaccination rates. The administration could also face calls to expand the power of OSHA to regulate workplace safety.
This is a developing story. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.