A judge in Florida found that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s anti-mask mandates violated the separation of powers and were illegal.
Video of Judge Cooper’s ruling:
Big defeat for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his ban on local mask mandates for schoolchildren without a parental opt-out.
Judge John Cooper just ruled DeSantis' action on mask mandates "does not meet Constitutional muster." pic.twitter.com/BJlOFi9oUA
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— The Recount (@therecount) August 27, 2021
Judge Cooper said that the state’s Parents Bill of Rights didn’t give DeSantis the power to impose an anti-mask mandate, “This orphan statute does not support a statewide order or any action interfering with the constitutionally provided authority of local school districts to provide for the safety and health of children, based on the unique facts on the ground.”
Gov. DeSantis responded by vowing to appeal and claiming that Judge Cooper’s ruling wasn’t based on “facts and science:”
.â¦@GovRonDeSantisâ© Statement after Leon County judge ruled his executive order and agency actions against school mask mandates were unlawful: pic.twitter.com/qmYcDCJ5XF
— Ana Ceballos (@anaceballos_) August 27, 2021
DeSantis lost because he tried to apply the Trump model of unlimited executive power to the mask issue, and he does not have the power to tell school districts whether or not they can implement mask mandates.
The courts have struck down the Trump idea of the unchecked unilaterally powerful executive for years, but Republicans continue to try it because their model is an anti-democratic all-powerful executive who is the enemy of the democratic process and separation of powers.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
