A New York Supreme Court judge has ruled that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mask mandate is unconstitutional.
The statewide indoor mask mandate was enacted in December and was set to expire on Feb. 1.
A State Supreme Court judge in Nassau County has ruled against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide mask mandate. On Monday, Judge Thomas Rademaker ruled that Hochul’s executive order was unconstitutional as it bypassed the lawmaking powers of the legislature. https://t.co/r8lWOz05A7
โ WGRZ (@WGRZ) January 25, 2022
“My responsibility as Governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately,” Hochul said in a statement, according to WKBW.
Some counties have extended their own indoor mask mandate regardless of the ruling.
A spokesperson for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued this statement, according to the report:
“Today’s Nassau county court ruling regarding the state’s mask mandate does not affect Erie County’s mask requirement, which is based on different state laws. ErieCounty’ss mask requirement remains in effect.”
The battle will continue over mask mandates, but at least one judge has ruled against Hochul’s statewide version of the rule.