Judge Overules Abbott’s Mandate
November 12, 2021 10:14AM CST
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 22: Governor Greg Abbott of Texas addresses the crowd before President Donald Trump took the stage for a rally in support of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on October 22, 2018 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Cruz, the incumbent, is seeking Senate re-election in a high-profile race against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
A federal judge has ruled that Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask mandates goes against the Americans with Disabilities Act frees up local officials to create their own rules.
The Wednesday order comes after a months-long legal dispute between parents, a disability rights organization, and Texas officials over whether the state was violating the 1990 law, known as the ADA, by not allowing school districts to require masks. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel barred Attorney General Ken Paxton from enforcing Abbott’s order.
The judge said the governor’s order impedes children with disabilities from the benefits of public schools’ programs, services and activities to which they are entitled.
