Texas judge grants temporary restraining order against Gov. Greg Abbott's school masking ban

A Texas judge on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates in schools.

According to a report from KSAT-TV, Bexar County Civil District Court Judge Toni Arteaga approved the order following a Tuesday hearing to allow San Antonio to require masks in schools.

The report added that San Antonio's seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is over 1,200.

What are the details?

The order will allow both county and city schools to require masks in all public schools in San Antonio and Bexar County until a further decision regarding Abbott's executive order is made.

With the order, the city and county will "immediately issue an order requiring masks in public schools and requiring quarantine if an unvaccinated student is determined to be in close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual," the station reported.

In court, Arteaga said, "I don't do this lightly."

"And those under 12 of course, as you know, don't have access to the vaccine, and they're already in school," she added. "So I do find that this is emergent, I do find that it is necessary."

Abbott handed down the executive order in July, preventing schools from mandating mask-wearing.

At the time, he said that his executive order "emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates."

What else?

In response to the news, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, "We can get back to managing what is a very dangerous surge of this Delta variant in schools and otherwise."

Renae Eze, a spokesperson for the Abbott administration, said that the governor's "resolve to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans has not wavered."

"There have been dozens of legal challenges to the Governor's executive orders — all of which have been upheld in the end," Eze continued. "We expect a similar outcome when the San Antonio trial court's decision is reviewed by the appellate courts."

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect at least until a Monday court hearing.