Arlington judge rules against Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's mask order

ARLINGTON, Va. - An Arlington judge has granted seven school districts in Virginia a temporary restraining order to keep their masking guidelines in place – despite Governor Glenn Youngkin's executive order. 

The hearing for the seven school boards in Virginia that filed a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Governor Youngkin's updated school mask order concluded Friday with Judge Louise DiMatteo's decision.

"The public's interest in consistency and reasonable expectations is essentially the same as those of children, parents and employees of a school; indeed one could conclude that this is the public that this decision addresses," Judge Dimatteo wrote in her opinion. "To the extent that the greater public would be affected by a change in policy, the Court concludes that consistency during the pendency of a court case, benefits the public interest."

Alexandria City, Arlington County, City of Richmond, Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Hampton City, and Prince William County took legal action in the suit filed last month.

In a joint media release, the school boards said that they were "pleased with the temporary injunction granted today by the court."

"The order allows schools to continue to protect the health and well being of all students and staff," they wrote. "While the legal process on this matter continues, today’s ruling preserves the existing policies and practices in Virginia school divisions, which includes masking requirements."

Governor Youngkin's spokeswoman Macaulay Porter released a statement on behalf of the Governor following the judge's decision. 

"The governor will never stop fighting for parents' ability to choose what is best for their children. The governor often said that this is not a pro-mask or anti-mask debate. It's about parents knowing what's best for their child's health, and opting-out should there be a mask mandate… We are going to appeal, this is just the first step in the judicial process." 

Read Judge DiMatteo's opinion below: