Federal judge bars U.S. Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused Covid vaccines on religious grounds.
Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, acting in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of 35 special forces service members, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Navy and Defense Department from enforcing the mandate. O'Connor, who was appointed to the federal bench in Texas by President George W. Bush, said the Navy had not granted a single religious exemption to the vaccine rule.
“The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic provides the government no license to abrogate those freedoms,” the judge wrote in a 26-page decision.First Liberty Institute, a legal organization dedicated to defending U.S. religious freedoms which represented the plaintiff service members, hailed the ruling as a victory.
“Forcing a service member to choose between their faith and serving their country is abhorrent to the Constitution and America’s values,” said Mike Berry, the institute’s general counsel, said in a written statement.The ruling marks the latest salvo in a string of legal fights over Covid-19 vaccine mandates ordered by President Joe Biden that have proven deeply controversial among conservatives.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Navy SEALs who refused COVID-19 vaccineA federal judge on Monday barred the U.S. Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.
Read more »
Hawaii’s Water Protectors Lead Movement to Close Navy Fuel Site After Poisonous LeakAfter a major leak contaminated O’ahu’s water supply, water protectors are finding new allies among military families.
Read more »
Army, Navy Lend Muscle To Perovskite Solar CellA new high efficiency, low cost perovskite solar cell developed by Rice University is supported in part by the US Army and US Navy.
Read more »
Navy needs more time to flush Pearl Harbor drinking waterMilitary officials say they need more time to flush jet fuel from their Pearl Harbor water system, but some of the 4,000 military families who were displaced because of contaminated drinking water could begin returning by the end of next week.
Read more »
U.S. judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Navy SEALs who refused COVID-19 vaccineA federal judge on Monday barred the U.S. Department of Defense from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces members who refused COVID-19 vaccines on religious grounds.
Read more »
Judge blocks COVID vaccine mandate for Head Start programPresident Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Saturday, handing a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31 and that students 2 years or older be masked when indoors or when in close contact outdoors. Head Start is a federally funded program that promotes education for children under the age of 6 who are from low-income families.
Read more »