On Friday, Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper ruled that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “overstepped his authority when he signed an executive order to block school mask mandates.” In his ruling, the judge criticized DeSantis order and determined it was unconstitutional. The ruling comes after “a four-day trial in a case brought by parents from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Alachua and Palm Beach counties.”
According to The Tampa Bay Times:
Cooper pointed out that DeSantis’ executive order drew its authority to ban mask mandates in schools from the state’s “parents’ bill of rights” law. But he said the order did not take into account the whole law, which allows school boards to enact mask mandates as long as they are reasonable, address a compelling state interest, are narrowly tailored, and are the least restrictive way of addressing the virus in schools.
The order takes effect Monday.
