A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse struck down a statewide mandate for medical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ruling that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s health department overstepped their authority.
In a landmark ruling issued on Jan. 13, New York State Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri declared the statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical staff “null, void, and of no effect.”
Hochul and the New York State Department of Health exceeded their authority by sidestepping the state legislature in imposing a permanent COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical professionals, the judge wrote in the order (pdf).
Judge Neri also found that the mandate was “arbitrary and capricious,” citing evidence that COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent the spread of the virus, undercutting the basis for the mandate….