KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis County circuit court sided with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in his suit against the county mask mandate, preventing St. Louis County from enforcing it.
Schmitt sued St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and other county health department officials on July 26, when the county mask mandate was set to begin. He called their mandates government overreach.
RELATED | Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt: Mask mandates 'continued government overreach'
The St. Louis County Council voted 5-2 to terminate the mask mandate on July 27, but Page said he would ignore the vote made by the Council, according to court documents.
A circuit court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the mandate two weeks ago to prevent the county from enforcing the mask mandate.
On Thursday, a circuit court judge issued a preliminary injunction after both sides could not come to agreement about the mandate.
"The court in imposing a preliminary injunction will allow the citizens of St. Louis County to have a clear statement as to their legal obligations and rights with regards to face coverings, although it remains the court’s hope that our citizens will respect one another and where appropriate wear face coverings to protect themselves and others from the highly contagious COVID-19 virus," the court document said.
A preliminary injunction can be granted before or during a trial "with the goal of preserving the status quo before final judgement."
Page and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health will now have to include this injunction on all previously posted signage about the July 26 mandate.
“The people prevailed yet again against County Executive Page and his health department for attempting to impose their will illegally on the people of St. Louis County,” Schmitt said in a news release. “I will not stop in my fight against government overreach.”
The attorney general has also sued Kansas City and Mayor Quinton Lucas for renewing its mask mandate.
