Gov. Bill Lee’s joint effort with the Tennessee General Assembly to score political points around mask mandates in schools has been thwarted once again by the courts. Of course, this will likely allow Lee to rail against “activist” judges, but the point is: The ban on mask mandates Lee supported and the legislature passed remains sound and fury signifying nothing.

Newschannel9 in Chattanooga has more:

Tennessee’s new wide-ranging law against COVID-19 prevention mandates hit a snag Sunday when a federal judge appeared to temporarily halt its implementation of strict limits on mask mandates in schools as they apply in at least three counties.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. ordered that the status quo be maintained for the disabled children who are plaintiffs in Williamson, Shelby and Knox counties as of last Thursday, the day before Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation. Crenshaw previously blocked Lee’s recently terminated school mask opt-out order from applying in Williamson County. Federal judges in the other two court districts in Tennessee did the same for Shelby and Knox counties.

Like so many of Lee’s initiatives (vouchers, for example), the stated policy goal runs afoul of established law and constitutional principles.

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