State Supreme Court Judge Overturns NY Mask Mandate, Rules That Gov. Hochul Overstepped Her Authority

A New York State Supreme Court judge overturned Democratic Gov. Kathy Hocuhul’s mask mandate yesterday, ruling the governor overstepped her authority by imposing a rule that needed to have been passed by the state legislature.

The decision by Judge Thomas Rademaker came one week before the mandate was due to expire, although it was likely to have been extended again.

Rademaker found that the state legislature last year curbed any governor’s ability to issue decrees, such as a mask mandate, amid a declared state of emergency.

Hochul vowed to fight back and declared in a statement, “We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.”

“My responsibility as Governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Hochul insisted.

A former Republican supervisor candidate in Buffalo, Stefan Mychajliw, celebrated the news in a tweet where he announced, “Goodbye mask mandate for kids in schools across New York State! Massive victory.”

“Major win for freedom. Major win for common sense. Major win for children,” Mychajliw added.

One anti-Trump Twitter user, who was clearly triggered, responded to Mychajliw, “I (can’t) wait for y’all to be like ‘Please keep me in your prayers ..I can’t breathe.'”

I can wait for y'all to be like " Please keep me in your prayers ..I can't breathe"

— 🇭🇹CocOPleaSEr..NURSE PRACTITIONER (@CoCoPleaser) January 25, 2022

Although Hochul called the rule temporary when she imposed it on Dec. 31, she later extended the original expiration date of Jan. 15 until Feb. 1.