Judge John Kane
U.S. District Judge John Kane, an appointee of former President Jimmy Carter, granted a temporary injunction for Colorado-based Hercules Industries, blocking the Obama administration from applying and enforcing the mandate as it applies to the private heating and cooling business. The decision comes on the heels of two other court rulings dismissing similar lawsuits in which federal judges in Nebraska and the District of Columbia found the plaintiffs had not shown they had standing to bring the actions. Judge Kane, for his part, found that Hercules Industries showed sufficient evidence that it would sustain a violation of its constitutional rights if the mandate were imposed. Judge Kane’s ruling was a temporary injunction. Further arguments on the matter will be heard in the coming months.