The New York Times | December 7, 2021
Is it legal? The city’s mandate is based on different legal considerations than the federal mandate, Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown law professor who specializes in public health, told DealBook. “New York City has considerable home rule and very broad public health powers,” he said. But Mr. de Blasio did not get specific authorization from the City Council to enact the mandate, Mr. Gostin said, and an “inevitable avalanche of legal challenges” could argue that the mayor is overstepping. (If the federal mandate took effect, it would pre-empt anti-mandate rules at the local level, like those in Florida and Texas, but it would allow for stricter mandates like New York City’s, Mr. Gostin said.)