In a respite to the protesters against mandatory vaccination, a federal appeals court has halted US President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for larger businesses.   

The new development is being seen as a temporary victory for the citizens, who are against the measure.  

In the ruling on Saturday, a three-judge panel said petitioners offered significant cause to believe there are “grave statutory and constitutional issues” with the federal order.  

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who supported the lawsuit, announced an emergency hearing will take place “soon”.  

In a statement on Twitter, Abbott said, “We will have our day in court to strike down Biden’s unconstitutional abuse of authority.”  

The ruling was praised by some people. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a tweet, “Yesterday, I sued the Biden Admin over its unlawful OSHA vax mandate. WE WON.”  

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White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is confident that the mandate will hold legal weight in court.  

On Thursday, the Biden administration said it was setting a deadline of January 4 for large companies, defined as those with more than 100 employees, to start requiring vaccination against COVID-19 or enforce weekly testing.   

(With inputs from agencies)