Why the CDC's Face Decoration Mandate is Probably Over for Good

Two reasons:

1. The Biden administration wants it to be over for good; and
2. The particular court route to try and have it kept wouldn't likely succeed.

Why does the Biden administration want it to be over for good?

Because if people are still being forced to wear masks come November, that will cost Democrats votes. If the forced masking stops now, it probably won't be a big issue by then.

BUT!

The administration couldn't risk pissing off the sub-set of Democrats who really, really, really, reaaallllllllllllly want pandemic-justified mandates to remain in place forever as  rituals of the Cult of the Omnipotent State, by just  deciding not to extend the mandate.

They needed to be able to blame Republicans for ending it.

When US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of Florida (a Republican judge) nixed the mandate on Monday, she was giving the Democratic establishment and the Republican base what they both wanted (and Democratic Branch Covidians something they could enjoy hating themselves silly over).

Instead of running to the Eleventh Circuit or SCOTUS for a stay, which it would have done in about two minutes  flat they really wanted to keep the mandate, the administration and the CDC simply mumbled that they would be "reviewing" the judge's order.

But even if they had pursued the matter in court, well, the Eleventh Circuit and SCOTUS are both heavily stacked with Republican appointees and probably wouldn't have ruled in favor of the mandate. 

Which makes for a great excuse -- "we hate it, but we're moving on." Everybody's happy.

But Democratic candidates will probably be happier for longer. Republican candidates can effectually brag on this for about five seconds before everyone forgets all about it.  Democrats no longer face the choice between "we need to end this mandate, it's costing us votes" on one hand and "we can't end this mandate, part of our base would go even more batshit than it already is" on the other.