The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court has got Gov. Greg Abbott’s back in his fight to stop schools and public buildings from enforcing mask-wearing. On Sunday, the court temporarily blocked mask mandates in two of the state’s biggest counties—Dallas and Bexar—that had defied Abbott’s order. The court’s ruling is temporary pending a court hearing. However, officials in both counties said that their mask mandates will remain in effect regardless. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote: ‘The Tex Supreme Court did not strike down my face mask order. Rather they removed the stay on the GA 38. Unless I receive a ruling requiring otherwise, I will amend my order to remove the possibility of fines on non-compliant businesses but otherwise leave the order in effect.” Officials in San Antonio also released a statement saying that they will continue to enforce mask mandates for schools and city buildings.
