The state’s high court rejected the efforts of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to block temporary restraining orders issued by Travis County Judge Jan Soifer. Parents in Travis County, home to Austin, with children under age 12 who are not eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine,filed the orders, saying the Republican governor’s ban on mask mandates was a threat to public health. Soifer barred enforcement of Abbott’s ban, clearing the way for mask requirements in Harris County and eight school districts.
