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Politicizing Public Health Decisions ... Again

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Cartoon: a flight attendant blows into a tube on an inflatable judge holding a gavel as shocked passengers look on. Over the intercom we read, "in the event of a mask mandate, flight attendants are instructed to deploy a trump-appointed judge from Florida."

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle struck down the federal mandate requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes, trains, buses and other types of public transportation, ruling that it “exceeds the CDC’s statutory authority.”

At this point in the pandemic, it should be no surprise that this is yet another case of politicized lawyers, judges and advocacy groups battling scientists and public health officials.

The case was brought by the Health Freedom Defense Fund, an advocacy group based in Wyoming that has been battling mask and vaccine mandates across the country.

They found a friendly judge in Mizelle, from Florida, who was appointed by Donald Trump after he lost the election in 2020.

She was narrowly confirmed by the Senate along partisan lines, even after the American Bar Association said she was unqualified for the district court because she had such limited experience practicing law.

I don’t trust Mizelle or the Health Freedom Defense Fund to make public health policy … and I plan to keep my mask on while jammed onto a plane, train or bus, thank you very much.

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