Supreme Court Upholds Fines Against GOP Lawmakers for Mask Mandate Violations

The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from three Republican lawmakers, effectively endorsing lower court rulings that upheld fines for not wearing masks on the House floor.

The Supreme Court rejected appeals from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Ralph Norman, who were fined for violating the House's mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lower courts had ruled that they lacked jurisdiction to review the mask policy, a stance supported by the current House Speaker Mike Johnson's legal team.
The mask mandate, which was in place even after CDC guidance for vaccinated individuals, was lifted in June 2021.
Greene accumulated over $100,000 in fines for her repeated violations of the mask mandate.
The lawmakers had argued that the fines violated the 27th Amendment, which prohibits salary adjustments for members of Congress until after the next election, but their appeal was ultimately dismissed.