CINCINNATI, Ohio (AP) — An appeals court has affirmed a ban in three states on enforcing a federal vaccine mandate for workers who contract with the federal government.

A panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Thursday affirmed a lower court's ruling that said the mandate was unconstitutional. President Joe Biden's administration is not enforcing the rule while legal battles play out around the country.

A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky, blocked the Biden rule in November 2021 for that state and two others: Tennessee and Ohio. The mandate requires workers contracting with the federal government to wear face masks and be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a similar ruling in December for Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi.

"The Sixth Circuit's decision is a resounding victory against unlawful federal overreach into the personal medical decisions of Kentuckians," Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a statement Thursday.

Cameron, a Republican running for governor, brought the Kentucky lawsuit in 2021.