A Williamson County, Tennessee, judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging mask mandates in public schools on narrow grounds, saying he remained “unconvinced” the county’s board of education has the authority to enact or enforce such rules.
The lawsuit was brought by the conservative group Citizens for Limited Government and Constitutional Integrity – also known as Tennessee Stands – and two sets of parents who withdrew their children from Williamson County schools after a mask mandate was imposed.
The lawsuit is one of at least eight filed in Tennessee state courts challenging Gov. Bill Lee’s emergency powers, including delegating mask-mandate authority to local officials, since the pandemic began, according to case information provided by a spokeswoman for Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III.
Three of these cases are ongoing in state courts; three were dismissed or withdrawn, and two are now in the appeals process.
Three additional lawsuits also were filed in federal court challenging the governor’s emergency powers’ authority. Two of those cases were dismissed and one was voluntarily withdrawn.