Ping-pong ball bounce could determine vaccine mandate’s fate

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

The fate of President Joe Biden’s mandate that larger employers require workers to be vaccinated could come down to the bounce of a ping-pong ball. The rule is being challenged in federal courts by Republican-led states, businesses and conservative groups who say it’s not the role of the federal government to decide on workplace vaccines. Unions are also going to court to say the rule doesn’t go far enough. The challenges are expected to be combined as soon as Tuesday into one federal circuit court. The divisions between the courts in play are stark based on whether a majority of judges were nominated by Republican or Democratic presidents. A lottery will decide which one handles the case.