Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose state is involved with 13 others asking the Supreme Court to block President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates, said Thursday on Newsmax that the court's decision will have an impact on how far the federal government can go when it comes to enforcing medical procedures on American citizens.
"The decision the Supreme Court makes on Friday could really have an impact on setting the course for the direction of this country over the next century, because if they disagree with us then the question becomes, What else can the federal government do?" Landry said on Newsmax's "John Bachman Now."
"Can the federal government continue to enforce medical procedures on American citizens against their will? That is basically the bottom line question in these cases."
The GOP-led states are asking the Supreme Court to agree that the mandates overseen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should be paused while litigation continues on whether they have the ability or authority to implement the mandates, said Landry.
"This is unprecedented that the Supreme Court has called us in front of them to make this decision," he said. "Normally the court would make this decision on its own without arguments."
The court will hear in-person arguments Friday on emergency requests filed in two cases by challengers that include GOP-led states, as well as business groups and religious entities who are calling for the vaccine requirements to be blocked on grounds that Biden and his administration overstepped their authority.
Rulings from conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett have caused some dissatisfaction in recent months, and Landry said he can understand the frustration, but he believes the two took the right direction, based on past rulings.
"That is, states hold the policing power for healthcare choices," said Landry. "The states may, depending upon individual state constitutions and laws, be able to mandate vaccines, but the federal government does not, so I think that that is distinguishable here."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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