A judge in Texas denied Attorney General Ken Paxton the temporary restraining order he sought against the city of Austin and Travis County, which he had requested over their refusal to lift local mask mandates.
Rather than grant the retraining order, which would have restricted Austin and Travis County from enforcing their mandates until there was an official ruling on the merits, District Judge Lora Livingston insisted, “People have been wearing masks for a year. I don’t know that two more weeks is going to matter one way or the other,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Paxton, a Republican, sued Austin and Travis County on Thursday after the two left their mandates in place beyond the deadline when Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order lifting such mandates statewide went into effect.
“The decision to require masks or otherwise impose COVID-19-related operating limits is expressly reserved to private businesses on their own premises,” Paxton said in a letter to Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown, warning them that he would sue if they didn’t comply.
TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY OVER MASK MANDATES: REPORT
Austin and Travis County both reiterated after Abbott issued his order, but before Paxton sent his letter, that their mask mandates would “remain in place through April 15, 2021, unless modified or extended.”
In a statement emailed to the Washington Examiner, Brown responded to Paxton’s suit by saying, “I will continue to listen to our public health authority, medical professionals, and the CDC who have consistently said masks save lives. It’s unfortunate the attorney general is once again failing to make the health of our community his priority.”
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Livingston set a hearing for March 26 and said she would give a ruling on the same day. The decision means that Austin and Travis County can continue to enforce their mask mandates.
