A Cole County judge has ruled COVID-19 mandates imposed by municipalities in Missouri are against the law.
Judge Dan Green says orders such as quarantines, business closures and masking mandates violate the Missouri Constitution’s separation of powers clause and all existing health orders issued by local health authorities are “null and void.”
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when St. Louis City, St. Louis County and other jurisdictions were issuing health mandates aimed at stemming the spread of the virus.
Democratic St. Louis County Executive Sam Page told the County Council the mask mandate should remain, citing a rise in COVID-19 cases coming at a time when people start to gather for the holidays.