The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the USC mask mandate was allowed as long as it required “all” students and faculty to wear masks. The Court stated that the proviso that the General Assembly passed earlier this year did not prohibit a universal mask mandate. The Court added that the University of South Carolina could not single out simply unvaccinated students, that the mandate had to be for all vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Pastides stated, “Today’s South Carolina Supreme Court ruling clears the way for the university to require face coverings on our campus.”
The lawsuit was filed by Professor Richard Creswick who teaches astrophysics at USC. Creswick filed the suit due to his wife having a health condition and his feeling that not having such a mandate would put her at increased risk.
South Carolina State Senator Dick Harpoolian, D-Richland, entered into evidence a letter Attorney General Wilson sent to donors. The Donor letter stated, “The fight over vaccines and masks has never been about science or health. It’s about expanding the government’s control over our daily lives. I won’t stand for it.”
Sen. Harpoolian went on to say, “That email shows that within 24 hours of telling Pastides to reverse his mask mandate, Wilson was raising money off what he told the university. He was monetizing his opinion, he was using it to raise money off of people who were deluded into thinking they have some sort of constitutional right not to wear masks during the greatest public health emergency in a 100 years.”
Attorney General Wilson responded by saying, “While we disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling, we certainly understand its rationale and anticipated this was a reading the Court could give.” AG Wilson nor his office gave any comment on Sen. Harpoolian’s verbal attacks on AG Wilson.