AUSTIN (KXAN) — A hearing on the legality of Austin's mask mandate is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city two weeks ago for continuing its mask mandate after Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back COVID-19 safety orders, including a state-level mask mandate, March 10.
An initial ruling March 12 by District Court Judge Lora Livingston allowed the city's mandate to continue while both sides used the two-week period to prepare their cases.
Abbott issued an executive order that not only ended the statewide mask mandate on March 10 but also reopened Texas businesses to 100% capacity. That order overruled local ordinances, but Austin and Travis County refused to comply, saying they were doing so at the guidance of their health authority, Dr. Mark Escott.
Attorney General Ken Paxton then sued to uphold the governor’s executive order.
We will have more updates about the hearing and its result throughout the day Friday.
0 Comments