Columbia Standard

The Supreme Court of South Carolina has ruled that the city of Columbia's COVID-19 mask mandate "cannot stand" following Attorney General Alan Wilson's lawsuit contesting the mandate, according to a report by the Washington Examiner.

Wilson first wrote to Columbia after the mandate was passed, giving the city a deadline to repeal it, but Columbia refused and sent Wilson a letter on Aug. 11 stating that "a mask mandate prohibition" was "unconstitutional and unenforceable."

Wilson responded by filing a lawsuit against the city on Aug. 19, seeking jurisdiction in the state's highest court.

“The City of Columbia’s stance is the same now as it was before we enacted our emergency ordinance requiring masks in our elementary and middle schools: we will always act to preserve and protect the lives, health and safety of our children," Mayor Steve Benjamin said on Twitter. "This is a sad day for children in SC.”

The state court's ruling issued on Sept. 3, stated that the state Legislature's appropriations act proviso prohibits local governments and school boards from establishing mask mandates for local K-12 public schools.

The court also determined that the order places the responsibility of enforcing mask requirements on school staff, forcing them to choose between breaching state and municipal laws, according to a WBTW report.