Biden’s $15 Federal Contractor Wage Rule Nixed by Ninth Cir. (2)

President Joe Biden lacked the authority to impose a $15 minimum wage mandate for contractors, a divided federal appeals court ruled.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated the US Labor Department rule implementing Biden’s executive order, finding that the department violated the federal law governing agency rulemaking when it overlooked alternatives to the $15 minimum wage mandate.

The Ninth Circuit panel majority—composed of two Trump appointees—delivered a major setback to one of the Biden administration’s most prominent efforts to boost worker pay. The ruling could limit future presidents’ latitude to set policies for federal contractors, ...