U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency application yesterday that would’ve stopped COVID-19 vaccine mandates for New York City firefighters, police officers and other government workers.
Justice Sotomayor denies NYC frontline workers’ request for Covid vaccine mandate exemptionhttps://t.co/QQRQ2AtVq4
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 11, 2022
The appeal, filed on November 2, came directly from employees previously fired after their religious exemptions were denied.
The “Alliance Defending Freedom ” partially represented the workers and argued that if athletes and entertainers can bypass the vaccine, those responsible for extinguishing fires and stopping criminals should have the same privilege.
“These city heroes have dedicated their lives to serving their neighbors and keeping their city running safely and efficiently,” began John Bursch, senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy at ADF
“Yet New York City officials suspended and fired them because they cannot take the COVID-19 vaccine without violating their sincere religious beliefs.”
The ruling seemed to be an easy one for Justice Sotomayor, who opted to decide the case individually as opposed to allowing the rest of the court to weigh in. She’s legally allowed to do so, but why couldn’t she provide an explanation for her decision?
If one group is ordered to do something while everybody else gets a free pass, it seems at the very least they deserve some sort of explanation as to why they’re subject to different treatment.
While many pandemic-era restrictions remain, those opposed to the safety measures gained a major victory in January when the Supreme Court voted 6-3 in favor of blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s grip on the private sector.
On the same day OSHA was relieved of its control, the courts upheld the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule mandating over 10 million government employees be vaccinated against COVID.
