The governor's office says he will appeal the decision.
A northern Virginia judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's executive order that allows parents to opt their children out of locally imposed school mask requirements.
"While the General Assembly has granted to the Governor significant and sweeping general powers to address an emergency– it does not follow that the Governor, even in an emergency, can direct the school boards to ignore the General Assembly's deference to CDC guidance and to abandon their considered determination about what is practicable regarding those mitigation strategies," DiMatteo wrote.
School boards in Fairfax County, Prince William County, Alexandria, Arlington, Richmond, Falls Church and HamptonYoungkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said they are going to appeal the court's decision and"this is just the first step in the judicial process."