A group of parents whose children attend St. Joseph Elementary School in Cold Spring, KY, challenged Gov. Andrew Beshear’s executive order requiring students at all schools to wear masks.

Judge William Bertelsman, 85, who was nominated to the bench by President Carter in 1979, ruled that the governor likely violated Kentucky law in issuing his executive order. The judge added that the children “face immediate harm to their emotional well-being and academic growth.”