Judge Temporarily Stops New York from Enforcing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Against Health Care Workers with Religious Exemptions
October 15, 2021 | New York
A federal judge on Tuesday has agreed to temporarily bar New York from enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate against health care professionals who hold religious objections. The state must allow employers to grant these workers religious exemptions while a lawsuit is pending.
In the opinion (PDF), the judge wrote:
“The question presented by this case is not whether plaintiffs and other individuals are entitled to a religious exemption from the State’s workplace vaccination requirement. Instead, the question is whether the State’s summary imposition of § 2.61 conflicts with plaintiffs’ and other individuals’ federally protected right to seek a religious accommodation from their individual employers…The answer to this question is clearly yes.”… (Excerpts from Black Community News)
