Court rules against Gov. Abbott in legal battle over Dallas County mask mandate
DALLAS - In the legal fight over the mask order issued by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, an appeals court said Governor Greg Abbott cannot take away the power of local government leaders to manage local disasters.
In this case, the appeals judges ruled a mask policy is a tool local leaders have the right to use and the governor cannot ban it.
RELATED: Dallas County mask mandate starts Thursday due to COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak
Jenkins filed a motion for a temporary restraining order along with the attorney for a dozen North Texas parents. They argued the governor overstepped his authority by limiting the actions local officials can take to combat the COVID-19 crisis.
A Dallas County judge agreed, issuing the TRO late Tuesday.
RELATED: Judge grants Dallas County authority to issue mask mandate in defiance of Gov. Abbott's order
Jenkins quickly issued a mask mandate after Tuesday’s court victory, which Gov. Abbott and the attorney general then appealed.
That appeal was denied by the court Friday.