Federal District Court Halts Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors,

Rules in Favor of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee

FRANKFORT, Ky. (November 30, 2021) – A federal district court Tuesday granted Attorney General Cameron’s request to halt the the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors until the case can be fully litigated in court.  The preliminary injunction, issued in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, stops the mandate from taking effect in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.

“Today, a federal court halted the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “This is a significant ruling because it gives immediate relief from the federal government’s vaccine requirement to Kentuckians who either contract with the federal government or work for a federal contractor.”

Earlier this month, Attorney General Cameron led the lawsuit challenging the mandate alongside Ohio and Tennessee as well as two sheriffs from Ohio.  The coalition argued that the vaccination requirement is unconstitutional and that the Biden Administration did not have the authority to issue the mandate.  In the order issued today, the court agreed, stating that the question presented to the court is “[c]an the president use congressionally delegated authority to manage the federal procurement of goods and services to impose vaccines on the employees of federal contractors and subcontractors? In all likelihood, the answer to that question is no.”

The Department of Labor reports that federal contractors account for approximately one-fifth of the country’s entire labor force. In fiscal year 2021, the federal government awarded $9.3 billion across 32,465 contracts for work done in Kentucky.

The injunction issued by the court today applies to Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee and is believed to be the first injunction in the country halting the vaccine mandate for federal contractors.  A copy of the court’s order can be viewed here.