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- A judge ruled that Gov. DeSantis' mask mandate ban was unconstitutional.
- Schools may impose mask mandates for their districts, Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said.
- The move comes after 10 Florida districts defied the governor and imposed mask mandates anyways.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
A judge ruled that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order to ban mask mandates in the state, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
Schools may impose mask mandates, Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said, and agreed with parents who filed the lawsuit saying the mask ban was unconstitutional.
Cooper said DeSantis' order was "without legal authority," per the AP.
The governor argued his order gave parents the right to make this decision for their own children, but the judge said it also removes the government's authority to impose actions that are needed to protect public health.
DeSantis originally ordered the mask mandate ban in July. Since then, a number of Florida school districts have imposed their own mask mandates, directly going against the governor's order.
As of Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that more than half of Florida students were enrolled in public schools that implemented mask mandates. At this point, 10 counties had ordered individual mask mandates for their districts.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
