GOP-appointed judges freeze Biden vaccine requirement after federal lawsuit

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court suspended the Biden administration's new vaccine requirement for private companies, delivering a major blow for one of the White House's signature attempts to increase the number of vaccinations to corral the pandemic.

The decision was issued by a panel of three judges appointed by Republican presidents in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The judges wrote that there was "cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate," staying the order while the court assesses it in more depth.