Argentina Supreme Court overrules president’s closure of schools

Judges reverse President Alberto Fernandez’s decree to close schools in Buenos Aires amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Argentina’s Supreme Court has overturned President Alberto Fernandez’s decree to close schools in Buenos Aires amid a surge in coronavirus cases, siding with the city government that had sought to keep children in class. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the presidential decree constituted a violation of the legally-enshrined autonomy of Buenos Aires, which it ruled was the authority in charge of deciding whether schools should close. Four out of the five judges ruled that Fernandez’s decree in April violated the capital’s autonomy. The fifth judge abstained, saying the issue was beyond the court’s jurisdiction.