Supreme Court Blocks Vaccine Rule for Private Businesses, Allows Health Care Mandate

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued two major rulings on President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine rules and requirements.

In one ruling, the court voted 6-3 to block the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine-or-test rule for private companies with 100 or more employees. In the other, it voted 5-4 to allow a vaccine mandate to stand for medical facilities that receive federal aid. The court's conservative majority argued that the rule represented federal overreach "in the absence of clear delegation from Congress." The court's three liberal justices dissented, and argued that the ruling undermined the government's capacity "to protect American workers from grave danger." Conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the liberal justices in ruling that the mandate for health care workers fell within the scope of the government's powers.

Many outlets across the spectrum featured the news as their top story Thursday afternoon. Reports from right-rated outlets focused more on the court's majority opinion and the government overreach argument, and often described the vaccine-or-test rule as a mandate. On its homepage, Fox News (Right bias) described the private employer requirement as "shot down." Coverage from left-rated outlets highlighted the private employer rule's testing option, the preservation of the health care mandate, and Biden's disappointed response to the private employer ruling more prominently.