The Louisiana Supreme Court denied requests for a temporary restraining order and an expedited hearing on a lawsuit challenging the vaccination and indoor masking mandates instituted by New Orleans city officials, which means they will remain in effect at least through Mardi Gras.
More than 100 plaintiffs sued Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the New Orleans Health Department, and that agency’s leader Dr. Jennifer Avegno, accusing them of violating their constitutional rights with restrictions and mandates.
The petition says the plaintiffs have endured nearly two years of unprecedented executive control during the COVID-19 pandemic that has turned into perpetual, unlawful overreach.
The plaintiffs are represented by Alexandria-based attorney Jimmy Faircloth, who earlier this year led unsuccessful challenges against Ochsner Health’s employee vaccination mandate on behalf of health care workers in Shreveport and Lafayette.
The ruling came down late Friday, and the first hearing on the suit was rescheduled for March 3, two days after Mardi Gras, before Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Rachael Johnson.
