On Saturday, a Louisiana federal judge ruled that President Joe Biden cannot uphold mandates for teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote in his decision that Biden's administration unlawfully bypassed Congress with a mandate requiring workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31.
Head Start is a federally funded educational program that promotes education for children under six from low-income families.
Doughty said in his decision that the separation of powers is essential to the country's founding. He also quoted former President Reagan, "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
"If the Executive branch is allowed to usurp the power of the Legislative branch to make laws, then this country is no longer a democracy — it is a monarchy," Doughty wrote.
"This two-year pandemic has fatigued the entire country. However, this is not an excuse to forego the separation of powers. If the walls of separation fall, the system of checks and balances created by the founders of this country will be destroyed," concluded Doughtry.
The lawsuit was brought by the Attorney Generals of 24 states, all of whom praised Doughty's decision.
"This victory will help ensure that numerous Head Start programs will continue to operate rather than have to fire teachers and cut back services to children. And this win will forestall the nonsensical and damaging practice of forcing masks on two-year-olds," said Alabama's Attorney General Marshall.
The ruling on Saturday affects Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming, and West Virginia.
