Appellate Court Rejects Governor's TRO Appeal

The Illinois 4th District Appellate Court Thursday rejected Governor J.B. Pritzker's appeal of a temporary restraining order regarding his school mask mandate. The TRO at issue also covered mandates requiring weekly testing of unvaccinated school employees and the quarantining of students and teachers who are "close contacts" of confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases.

The Appellate Court ruled the JCAR action earlier this week rendered the Governor's appeal moot. The Appellate Court did not decide whether the TRO was proper in the first place.

Now that the Appellate Court has rejected the governor's appeal, the case will go back to Judge Raylene Grischow in Sangamon County Circuit Court for a final decision on the merits of the TRO. The governor could also appeal the Appellate Court ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court. 

As of this week, the plaintiffs' attorney indicated over 500 school districts in Illinois had gone fully masks optional since the TRO was entered.

State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey said, "This ruling is another victory for freedom that confirms what we already knew and have been fighting for since the beginning."