Federal judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. on Friday blocked the implementation of a Tennessee law that placed a ban on mask mandates in schools.
The preliminary injunction contends that the Tennessee Department of Education does not have the authority to enforce the ban.
The lawsuit, which initiated the injunction from the President Obama appointee, claims that the law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In his ruling, Crenshaw outlined that the national law triumphs over the newly-imposed state law.
“As a part of the federal system, Tennessee certainly has the prerogative to enact laws protecting its citizens, but that right is limited by the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which ‘provides a clear rule that federal law ‘shall be the supreme Law of the Land,'” Crenshaw wrote, noted by WTVF.
Multiple attempts to stop mask mandates in schools have met similar fates.
Crenshaw temporarily blocked the law last month, shortly after it was enacted.
“The injunction was misguided and the epitome of judicial overreach,” said Leader Jack Johnson, who sponsored the legislation in the Tennessee Senate, in an emailed statement at the time. “Hopefully this injunction will be temporary as the judge looks at the legislation in its entirety, including provisions to accommodate ADA students and others with special needs. The legislation provides for parental choice regarding whether or not their children should wear a mask, while accommodating those who have special needs.”
Earlier this year, Governor Bill Lee issued an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of any mask mandates imposed by schools throughout the state.
However, federal judge J. Ronnie Greer blocked the implementation of that executive order and forced Knox County to implement a system-wide mandate.
Like the lawsuit against the new state law, the suit against Lee’s order claimed that children with various medical conditions are at risk and is limiting their ability to attend in-person classes.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
