Judge Doughty wrote, "There is no question that mandating a vaccine to 10.3 million healthcare workers is something that should be done by Congress, not a government agency. It is not clear that even an Act of Congress mandating a vaccine would be constitutional." His opinion likely will be reviewed by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and perhaps the US Supreme Court down the line.

Hospitals and private employers still may require Covid vaccines.

A federal district court in Monroe on Tuesday said a federal agency had overstepped its authority and temporarily ended the requirement that millions of healthcare workers nationwide get vaccinated before Monday, Dec. 6.

"There is no question that mandating a vaccine to 10.3 million healthcare workers is something that should be done by Congress, not a government agency. It is not clear that even an Act of Congress mandating a vaccine would be constitutional," wrote U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty sitting in Monroe for the Western District of Louisiana.