Idaho Governor Brad Little has issued an executive order repealing Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin’s executive order from the previous day involving COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandatory testing.
Little issued the order while still in Texas, a move that challenges the state’s longstanding practice of making the lieutenant governor acting governor when the governor is out of state.
McGeachin, a far-right Republican who is challenging Little for his seat, issued her order Tuesday and also sought to activate the Idaho National Guard and send soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Little was in Texas meeting with nine other Republican governors over concerns on how President Joe Biden is handling border issues.
Little’s executive order appears to lay the groundwork for a court challenge to determine who is in charge when governor leaves the state.
Little’s order states that he did not authorize McGeachin to act, and it cites Idaho law.
The order also notes that Little had previously through an executive order banned state entities from requiring vaccine passports.
Little’s order also states that McGeachin’s order prohibiting COVID-19 testing would harm the state’s ability to curb the spread of the disease. (AP)
