AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The legal battle over whether local leaders can defy Gov. Greg Abbott's executive orders and institute their own mask mandates took another turn Sunday, with the Texas Supreme Court issuing a ruling temporarily blocking lower court orders that allowed for mask mandates in two of the state's largest counties.
Sunday's ruling stayed the lower court restraining orders that allowed Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff to issue mask mandates in their respective counties.
Both mandates had been upheld Friday by rulings at the appeals court level, with the 4th Court of Appeals upholding Bexar County's mandate and the 5th Court of Appeals upholding Dallas County's mandate.
Despite the short-term victory for Abbott, the lower court hearings on the merits of individual cases will still proceed as scheduled, in a process that could take days, weeks, or even months to resolve.
The battle over local mask mandates has opened up on several fronts across the state, including a restraining order issued by Travis County District Court Judge Jan Soifer on Friday. That order prompted Eanes ISD officials to issue a mask mandate Saturday evening in line with orders issued by Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin Mayor Steve Adler, joining Austin ISD, Del Valle ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Manor ISD, San Marcos CISD, and Hays CISD in issuing mask mandates across Central Texas.
A statement from Eanes ISD officials said they were following the court's order. “In anticipation of a Court Order, masks will be required for students, staff and visitors when attending Eanes ISD, in accordance with the current Travis County mask order," the statement said.
It was not immediately clear how individual districts would respond to the ruling from the state Supreme Court.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra also issued a county-wide mask mandate of his own late Friday evening, which was set to go into effect Sunday morning.
Abbott responded to news of the Supreme Court ruling Sunday afternoon. "The ban doesn't prohibit using masks. Anyone who wants to wear a mask can do so, including in schools," Abbott said in a tweet.