Texas Supreme Court sides with Abbott in blocking San Antonio’s school mask mandate

The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday sided once again with Gov. Greg Abbott (R) over his ban on school mask mandates in the state, blocking Bexar County from continuing to defy his executive order.

The court said in its ruling that it is granting Abbott emergency relief to enforce his ban, writing that during the coronavirus pandemic, “the status quo, for many months, has been gubernatorial oversight of such decisions at both the state and local levels.”

“That status quo should remain in place while the court of appeals, and potentially this Court, examine the parties’ merits arguments to determine whether plaintiffs have demonstrated a probable right to the relief sought,” the court added.

Ongoing court battle: The state Supreme Court also ruled in favor of Abbott earlier this month to block temporary restraining orders from district courts that had allowed local authorities to override the governor’s ban and impose mask mandates.

However, the day after that previous ruling, Bexar County District Judge Antonia Arteaga approved the county’s mask mandate, arguing that local officials had a reasonable interest in protecting students, especially those ineligible to get the vaccine.

Thursday’s Supreme Court decision overrules the district court’s ruling, forcing Bexar County to reconsider how to move forward with its health and safety requirements amid new surges in coronavirus infections caused by the highly contagious delta variant.