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Attorneys representing a group of Arizona educators have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block four budget reconciliation bills that contain prohibitions on mask and vaccination mandates at public schools and universities.
The lawsuit was filed against the state of Arizona on Aug. 12, but the preliminary injunction is intended to get a ruling on the case before the laws go into effect Sept. 29, according to United Campus Workers of Arizona, which is supportive of the action.
“I am not only worried about my own health and safety; I am worried about the safety of my friends, colleagues and students,” said Richard Newhauser, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and professor at Arizona State University. “None of them should be faced with the prospect of working in a riskier environment due to this unconstitutional law. Nor should my colleagues and friends be faced with the prospect of bringing infection home to their spouses, children or aged parents.”
The lawsuit argues several of the bills violate the Arizona Constitution because their titles don’t clearly indicate their content, since they deal with more than budget reconciliation. The inclusion of the ban in budget reconciliation bills also goes against the state Constitution, which states that a bill shouldn’t include extraneous material unrelated to other subject matter in the bill, the plaintiffs said.
