FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, December 7, 2021
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced that earlier today, federal district court Judge R. Stan Baker in Georgia issued a nationwide preliminary injunction suspending the federal contractor vaccine mandate. Judge Baker ruled against the Biden Administration, finding that the vaccine mandate in Executive Order 14042 violated the Procurement Act.
Judge Baker stated in his order “As another Court that has preliminarily enjoined the same measure at issue in this case has stated, “[t]his case is not about whether vaccines are effective. They are. … However, even in times of crisis this Court must preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the bounds of their constitutionally granted authorities.”
This particular vaccine mandate would have applied to any employee of a contractor or subcontractor who was a party to a federal contract, even if the work they did was wholly unrelated to the contract, and even if it was not certain they would ever have worked in a location with an employee who was actually working on a federal contract.
“This is the third federal court to enjoin the invasive federal vaccine mandates of the Biden administration,” said Ravnsborg. “I will continue to work with my colleagues across the nation to protect the people of South Dakota from this outrageous federal overreach.”
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the State of South Dakota and provides legal advice to agencies, boards, and commissions of the State as well as representing the State in state and federal court. The Office of Attorney General also handles prosecutions, felony criminal appeals, civil matters, consumer protection issues, and issues formal opinions interpreting statutes for agencies of the state. Visit www.atg.sd.gov to learn more.
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