Reuters
By Tom Hals (Reuters) – The resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States due to the Delta variant has prompted public and private employers and schools to mandate coronavirus vaccines, drawing legal challenges from civil libertarians and vaccine skeptics.
Below is a selection of some key cases.
Challenges to mandates for students and teachers
More than 500 colleges and universities have imposed vaccine requirements and lawsuits have been filed against Loyola Marymount University, George Mason University, University of Massachusetts and the California State University system.
The only ruling so far involved Indiana University, which was sued by eight students who claimed their 14th Amendment right to bodily autonomy and due process was violated by the state university’s requirement.
The students’ June 21 lawsuit opposed the innoculation requirement, as well as alternative masking and testing for students who qualified for religious and medical exemptions. The students cited a mix of concerns regarding vaccine efficacy, safety and religious beliefs.
U.S. District Court Judge Damon Leichty, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, said the school was acting reasonably to protect public health. His ruling only addressed a request for a preliminary injunction and was not a final decision on the merits of the case.
The students appealed. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request to put the university’s vaccine policy on hold during the appeals process.
Employees fighting termination over vaccination refusal
Many large U.S. employers have recently announced deadlines by which employees must be vaccinated, including Walmart Inc, Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc and the federal government… Read More