Texas Supreme Court temporarily denies governor's attempt to reinstate a ban on mask mandates in schools

The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday denied a petition from Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that aimed to reinstate a ban on mask mandates in schools. The decision, which is temporary, comes amid a bitter battle between Abbott and local leaders over control of school masking policy. 

In May, Abbott issued an executive order that barred public schools and most other government entities from imposing mask mandates. Abbott has stood by the order, despite it being met with pushback from schools and even from President Biden, who called the ban "bad health policy."  Last week, Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer granted a series of temporary restraining orders against Abbott's ban, which allowed several school districts to impose face mask mandates, according to CBS Austin.