EXPLAINER: Must employers follow Biden's vaccine mandates?

Tens of millions of workers across the U.S. are in limbo as federal courts have put President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandates affecting private companies on hold

Tens of millions of workers across the U.S. are in limbo as federal courts have put President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates affecting private companies on hold. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Georgia stayed a vaccine mandate for employers of companies that contract with the federal government. That follows similar nationwide suspensions of Biden administration mandates for employees of larger private companies and certain health care workers.

The courts are responding to lawsuits brought by Republican-led states, businesses and other opponents. Numerous other legal challenges are pending, some involving groups of states and others filed by states acting alone.

The rulings have led vaccine mandates to be halted at some large employers. They include Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, the three largest state universities in Kansas and the city of Phoenix.

Despite other legal challenges, separate Biden administration vaccine mandates for federal government employees and the military remain in effect, as do mask requirements for airline passengers and people using public transportation.