The U.S. presidential administration's mask mandate for planes and other kinds of public transportation has been declared unconstitutional by a federal judge in Florida.
The national public health agency had overstepped its legal authority in imposing the regulation, according to U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle.
Judge Mizelle is situated in Florida, but federal judges have the power to reject actions that affect the entire country.
Her Monday directive effectively overturns the need for masks in all flights, trains, taxis, and transport stations. The U.S. Transit Authority has announced that mask use would no longer be required.
The mask mandate was recently extended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) until May 3.
The ruling was "disappointing," according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who also pointed out that the CDC still advises travelers to veil their mouths and noses.
The judge claimed that the CDC regulation was "arbitrary and capricious" since it exempted some categories, such as toddlers two years old and below, but not others.
The conservative Health Freedom Defense Fund (HFDF) and two Floridian citizens first filed the case in July 2021, who claimed that masks made them feel anxious and worsened their panic attacks.
Mizelle, who was designated by former President Donald Trump, ruled that the CDC had wrongly used the "good cause exemption," which allows the institution to avoid public notice and discussion on the regulation.
"The court considers it unconstitutional and annuls the mandate because our constitution does not allow institutions to act unlawfully even in the prospect of good purposes,'" Judge Mizelle wrote, citing another case.
The Transportation Security Administration, which oversees US airport security, declared shortly after the legal judgment that the mask order would no longer be implemented.
Face veils will no longer be needed on domestic routes and some foreign travels, according to United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that more than 7,000 disruptive passenger cases have been recorded since the CDC first imposed a public health notice mandating commuters to wear masks in February 2021.
Generally, the COVID-19 regulations of the Biden administration have had varied results in the courts. In January, the White House's wide vaccine-or-test mandate for workers at major private corporations was rejected by the Supreme Court.
Earlier this April, the regulation that all federal workers must get the vaccine, imposed by the Biden administration, was backed on appeal.
