JOHN C. COOPER

An appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling that a parentless 16-year-old girl in the Florida Panhandle is not “sufficiently mature” to end her pregnancy while seeking a waiver from a state law requiring minors to get parental consent for an abortion.

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Putnam County on Thursday, according to a news release.

VIDEO: Florida 15-week abortion ban remains in place after State appeals judges injunction VIDEO: Florida 15-week abortion ban remains in place after State appeals judges injunction (Christopher Heath, WFTV.com/WFTV)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban was blocked and then quickly reinstated Tuesday after an appeal from the state attorney general in a lawsuit challenging the restriction. Judge John C. Cooper issued the order temporarily halting the law after reproductive health providers argued that the state constitution guarantees the right to the procedure. The state appealed his order, automatically putting the law back into effect. The Florida law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. Read: Orlando police looking to gather more footage, information from Lake Eola fireworks scareData shows the majority of abortions in Florida occur before 15 weeks.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new 15-week abortion ban days after it took effect in the state, an expected move following an oral ruling last week in which he said the law violated the state constitution. Judge John C. Cooper issued the order in a case brought by reproductive health providers who argued that the state constitution guarantees a right to the procedure. The state is expected to appeal. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Florida’s new 15-week abortion was blocked and then quickly reinstated after an appeal from the state attorney general in a lawsuit challenging the restriction.

Pro-choice supporters started off Independence Day at the Orange County Courthouse holding up signs and chanting "my body, my choice."

Supreme Court Abortion Kentucky Community members gather to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade and Kentucky's trigger law to ban abortion, at Circus Square Park in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday, June 25, 2022. In Florida, Judge John C. Cooper said Thursday that he will temporarily block the 15-week abortion ban from taking effect after reproductive health providers argued the state constitution guarantees a right to the procedure. In a statement, DeSantis said the Florida Supreme Court previously misinterpreted Florida's right to privacy to include a right to an abortion. Kentuckians will vote in November on a ballot initiative that, if ratified, would establish that no state constitutional right to abortion exists. ___Forliti reported from Minneapolis___For AP's full coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion.

The law would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks and will most likely be fought for by the state.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper said the new 15-week abortion ban, signed in April by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, violates Florida’s constitution.

An administrative law judge Friday rejected a challenge to a state Department of Health rule designed to prevent student mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Central Florida school boards submitted letters Thursday responding to the state’s 48-hour notice to comply with mask requirements.

The State Board of Education on Thursday ratcheted up discipline against eight county school boards that have maintained student mask mandates to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force.

The judge's decision means that the state could resume its efforts to impose financial penalties on the 13 school boards currently defying the mask mandate ban.

An appeals court in Tallahassee has granted Florida’s request to reinstate a ban on mask mandates in schools, handing a temporary win to Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration.

The Lake County school board met Thursday morning to discuss mask rules after a Florida judge once again ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s fight over mask mandates in public schools took another twist Wednesday when a Leon County judge ruled that the mandates could proceed while the Department of Education appealed his original decision. Today, the judge dismissed the stay, which means mask mandates are unquestionably legal again. They also could decide whether to re-freeze mask mandates while they weigh their ruling, though Virelli said that was unlikely. Ultimately, attorneys widely expect the question of mandates to end up in front of the Florida Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court steps in and snatches it from District Court, it could be decided by the end of the month.

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the ban, school boards representing nearly 1.4 million students have adopted some kind of mask requirements with an opt-out only for medical reasons.

On Wednesday, Arizona reported 2,222 confirmed coronavirus cases and 26 confirmed deaths. ___HONOLULU — A resort in the famed tourist mecca of Waikiki will be the first in Hawaii to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all employees and guests. — Nebraska reported 5,649 new coronavirus cases last week, marking the 11th straight week of increases. ___PARIS — Some 300,000 people in France have signed up to receive a third COVID-19 vaccine shot since the government started offering them a week ago. Norway has offered school children between 12 to 15 one shot of a coronavirus vaccine.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper today lifted the stay on his own ruling that declared illegal Gov. Ron DeSantis's masking ban.

The judge lifted an automatic stay of his decision last week that Governor Ron DeSantis and state education officials exceeded their authority by imposing the blanket ban through executive order.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper lifted an automatic stay of his decision last week that Republican Gov. Since DeSantis signed the mandatory mask ban order on July 30, 13 school boards representing more than half of Florida's 2.8 million students have adopted mask requirements with an opt-out only for medical reasons. The DeSantis order impermissibly enforces only the first portion of that law, Cooper said. Additionally, school officials in Broward, Alachua and Orange counties filed a petition to schedule a hearing before an administrative law judge. According to the filing, the local school officials want the judge to invalidate a state health department emergency rule against school mask requirements based on the governor’s executive order.

A Florida judge has ruled the state cannot enforce its ban on mask mandates in public schools to guard against the coronavirus while an appeals court sorts out whether the ban is ultimately legal.

A judge again rules against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask policy for students.

Here's the latest on the battle between the state and some parents over students wearing masks in schools.

Many school districts, including in Central Florida, have reconsidered their mask policies following a Florida judge’s ruling last week that found Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning mask mandates,

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed a judge’s ruling that the governor exceeded his authority in ordering school boards not to impose strict mask requirements on students to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Ron DeSantis has appealed a judge's ruling that the governor exceeded his authority by ordering school boards not to impose strict mask requirements on students to combat the spread of the coronavirus. That law, the governor said, reserves for parents the authority to oversee their children's education and health. “It doesn’t require that a mask mandate must include a parental opt-out at all,” Cooper said in an oral ruling Friday. “Ultimately, we are just trying to stand with the parents,” DeSantis said. In particular, he contends that masks are less essential for young people and carry some risks of their own for children.

Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper filed his decision he made during a ruling last week.

State's education chief says he's protecting parents' rights. Administrator says she's protecting students.

Florida state education officials have begun to make good on threats to withhold funding from local school districts that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates.

Florida state education officials on Monday began to make good on threats to withhold funding from local school districts that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates, despite a circuit judge last week ruling the ban unconstitutional. Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced that the Florida Department of Education has withheld an amount equal to monthly school board member salaries in Alachua and Broward counties, as directed by the State Board of Education.

The Florida Department of Education has made good on its threat to withhold funding from school districts with mask requirements.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’s confident things will go in favor of the state as he appeals a ruling made by a judge that blocked his ban on school mask mandates.

A judge has ruled that Florida school districts may impose mask mandates. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) (Lynne Sladky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The rancorous debate over whether returning students should wear masks in the classroom has moved from school boards to courtrooms. The Texas Supreme Court blocked another school mask mandate Thursday while a Florida judge allowed the rules to go forward Friday. The divide is playing out in Florida and Texas, where several big school districts are defying governors' executive order against school mask mandates. “The decision to enforce mask mandates lies with the governor’s legislatively-granted authority," Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday.

The often-heated debate over whether returning students should wear masks in the classroom has moved from school boards to courtrooms.

READ: AdventHealth morgues reach capacity due to COVID-19 deathsCooper’s ruling is expected to set off a flurry of activity once his written ruling is published next week. Florida judge rules that school districts can mandate face masks w/ medical opt-out against Gov. Says this is allowed under parent's bill of rights and DeSantis/state education department overstepped their authority. “The judge today doesn’t make one more child in Florida wear a mask,” Stetson Law Professor Louis Virelli, III explained. However, the minute Cooper finished speaking, Orange County Public Schools leaders were sent a letter from Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.

Oh, the irony of it all.

The judge noted two past Florida Supreme Court decisions that found individual rights are limited by their impact on others' rights.

A judge ruled that Governor Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning the mandates.

Virus Outbreak Florida Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Pembroke Pines, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (AP) — School districts in Florida may impose mask mandates, a judge said Friday, ruling that Gov. The governor's order gave parents the sole right to decide if their child wears a mask at school. He said a school district’s decision to require student masking to prevent the spread of the virus falls within that exemption. The school districts that have defied Santis' order represent slightly more than half of the 2.8 million Florida public school students enrolled this year.

A judge has ruled that Florida school districts may impose mask mandates.

School districts in Florida may impose mask mandates, a judge said Friday, ruling that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning the mandates. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis' order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.

In a closely watched ruling on Friday, Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper blocked the executive order of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that barred...

The attorney for parents suing to overturn Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning strong student mask mandates told a judge Thursday that it violates the authority of school districts to decide health issues on their campuses — something the governor's lawyer strongly disputed. Craig Whisenhunt told Circuit Judge John C. Cooper that DeSantis is endangering children by not letting districts follow guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that children be masked at school.

A judge in Leon County is hearing the case between pro-mask parents and elected officials who say the decision should be left up to parents.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (AP) — Florida's power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. At least seven school districts representing more than 1 million Florida students were defying the governor's order as of Monday morning and others have scheduled votes soon on the issue. Miami-Dade schools, the nation’s fourth-largest district, started classes on Monday for its 340,000 students with a strict mask mandate. Masks were optional the first two weeks of classes, but outbreaks districtwide prompted the school board to impose a strict mandate. Only students who provide a doctor’s note will be excused, an opt-out mirrored by other districts with mask requirements.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (AP) — Florida's power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. The three-day hearing before Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper pits pro-mask parents against the Republican governor and state education officials who say parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up inside schools. At least seven school districts representing more than 1 million Florida students were defying the governor's order as of Monday morning and others have scheduled votes soon on the issue. “Because of the delta variant, our schools are not safe and secure unless everyone wears a mask,” Dodson said. Miami-Dade schools, the nation’s fourth-largest district, started classes on Monday for its 340,000 students with a strict mask mandate.

The politically-charged Florida debate over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infection is now before a judge.

The politically-charged Florida debate over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infection is now before a judge.

Florida's power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. Ron DeSantis' order reserving the mask decision for parents. The three-day hearing before Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper pits pro-mask parents against the Republican governor and state education officials who say parents, not schools, should choose whether their children cover up inside schools. The hearings come as the highly contagious delta variant causes a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths across Florida, where the school year is already being disrupted.