FL Judge Overturns CDC's Transit Mask Mandate

A federal judge in Florida overturned Monday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national mask mandate for all forms of public transportation, including planes, trains and ferries.

The CDC recently extended the mandate another 15 days, through May 3, because of the spread of the omicron B.A. 2 subvariant. The order went into effect Feb. 1, 2021.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the CDC's order exceeds the agency's statutory authority, according to CNBC.

"The court concludes that the mask mandate exceeds the CDC's statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking under the APA," the judge wrote, CBS News reported. "Accordingly, the court vacates the mandate and remands it to the CDC."

She also said that the CDC didn't offer justification for the extension of its mask mandate and didn't follow proper procedure in doing so, according to Fortune.

Mizelle, who has served in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida since Sept. 8, 2020, was nominated to the seat by former President Donald Trump.