The battle over mask mandates in Missouri has become a war of words between Attorney General Eric Schmitt and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones.
This week, Schmitt sent letters to local public health agencies invalidating all mask mandates in school districts and public health agencies. The letters prompted St. Louis Democratic mayor to tweet, “Please help us! Our Attorney General @Eric_Schmitt is literally trying to kill us!”
You’re the mayor of the murder capital of the United States, violent crime rages on and you want to defund the police and yet you’re obsessed with the forced masking of 5-year-olds.
Schmitt fired back on Twitter with this salvo: “You’re the mayor of the murder capital of the United States, violent crime rages on and you want to defund the police and yet you’re obsessed with the forced masking of 5-year-olds. Your administration and priorities are a total disaster.”
READ: Judge bans local Missouri officials from implementing mandates
In a news release, Schmitt said, “The recent decision from the Cole County Circuit Court is consequential as it relates to public health orders. Today I sent a letter to public health agencies and school districts across the state informing them of the decision and demanding they rescind and cease enforcement and publicizing of public health orders, mask mandates, quarantine orders or other orders that were declared null and void by the recent decision. Public health authorities and school districts have gone unchecked, issuing illegal and unconstitutional orders in their quest to aggregate, maintain and exert their newfound power. My office will enforce the Court’s order across the state.”
This means health orders from local public health bureaucrats are not valid, he said.
“The legislature has delegated to the state department but not the locals, and therefore their (orders) are illegal,” Schmitt said. “We also sent a letter to the school districts, because the legislature has never delegated the ability to issue health orders, essentially mask mandates, to school districts either. The ability to issue a health order related to a quarantine has never been delegated to a school district.
“You should stop enforcing and publicizing any such orders immediately. Failure to follow the court’s judgment may result in enforcement action against you to remove orders the court has determined are unconstitutional and illegal. We encourage you to take immediate action to remove all unconstitutional and illegal orders.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
