Florida Judge Defies DeSantis Appeal, Allowing School Mask Rules

Florida schools can start legally requiring masks, a state court judge ordered in what he called an uncommon ruling, even as Republican Governor Ron DeSantis appeals a decision against his ban on mask mandates.

It’s highly unusual to lift an automatic hold on a decision such as the one that kicked in when DeSantis filed his appeal, Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper said at a hearing held over Zoom on Wednesday.

But “we’re not in normal times -- we’re in a pandemic,” he said. “We have children who can’t be protected by a vaccination.”

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