Republican states prepare for legal showdown over Biden vaccine mandate

Republican governors and state officials are preparing for a legal battle with the Biden administration over a mask mandate they say the federal government has no authority to issue but that its supporters say has precedent in immunization requirements for attending schools, joining the military, and other contexts.

At least a dozen Republican governors have already criticized the mandate as an overreach by President Joe Biden, and many have vowed to file a lawsuit against the requirements once the Biden administration puts it into effect.