The South Carolina Supreme Court has determined that the city of Columbia’s COVID-19 mask mandate “cannot stand” following Attorney General Alan Wilson’s lawsuit challenging the mandate, according to a report by the Washington Examiner.
Wilson first sent a letter to Columbia after it passed the mandate, giving the city a deadline to rescind it. The city refused, instead sending a letter back to Wilson on Aug. 11 stating that “a mask mandate prohibition” was “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”
Wilson responded by filing a lawsuit against the city Aug. 19, urging the state Judicial Department to review the case.
“The South Carolina Supreme Court has come to a sound conclusion based on the rule of law – a parent’s right to decide what’s best for their child is now definitively protected by state law,” Gov. Henry McMaster stated on Twitter. “I would again encourage anyone eligible to receive the vaccine to get vaccinated.”
The state court’s ruling issued on Sept. 3 stated that the South Carolina Legislature’s appropriations act proviso prohibits local governments and school boards from establishing mask mandates for local K-12 public schools, according to a WBTW report.
The court also determined that the order places the responsibility of enforcing mask requirements on school staff, forcing them to choose between breaching state and municipal laws.
