Biden looks to revive employer vaccine mandate

A day after the Biden administration filed documents seeking to reinstate its workplace vaccine-or-test mandate, court battles over its legality rage on as new suits continue to accumulate.

The White House has asked a federal appeals court in Cincinnati to lift its order blocking the rule, which requires federal employees, contractors, and businesses with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or submit to weekly testing and masking on the job.

New legal actions are still piling up against the administration's request. Job Creators Network has filed its own brief asking the court to reject the request and make clear that it applies to the entire administration. The state of Ohio has joined three separate lawsuits in three weeks challenging different portions of the mandate, including for healthcare workers, and a group formed by former President Donald Trump's adviser Stephen Miller is suing on behalf of a 20-year Navy employee.

The White House has encouraged businesses to follow through on the mandate, making the case that increased vaccinations are good for the economy and that the threat from the disease will grow more acute during the frigid winter months.