Arizona has joined twenty other states with Republican attorneys general in a lawsuit aimed at halting the federal government’s transportation mask mandate.
The suit was filed in federal court and announced this week in Tampa, Florida by Gov. Ron Desantis.
It contends that the pandemic-related mask mandate for planes, trains, ferries and other public transportation, exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under current parameters, the mandate may be in effect only a few more weeks anyway. Still, Arizona and other states, including Utah, Idaho and Montana, are pressing the lawsuit.
It comes amid a partisan divide over the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues of government regulation versus individual rights.
The rule has already been relaxed somewhat, to end requirements for certain buses, but was recently extended until at least April 18 for domestic and international travel in general.
The lawsuit seeks to immediately halt the CDC travel mask rule and asks for costs and attorneys’ fees.