In a landmark determination earlier this month, the US Courtroom of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit delivered a scathing rebuke to the College of Colorado Anschutz Faculty of Drugs, declaring its COVID-19 vaccine mandate unconstitutional.
The 55-page ruling highlighted that the mandate, which excluded spiritual exemptions, was tainted by “spiritual animus” and thus violated the First Modification’s safety of non secular liberties.
The courtroom’s determination reversed a previous ruling by a decrease courtroom, bringing to an finish a contentious authorized battle initiated by the Thomas Extra Society on behalf of 17 college members and college students.
These people had confronted extreme repercussions, together with dismissals and expulsions, for his or her refusal to adjust to the college’s vaccine insurance policies on account of their deeply held spiritual beliefs.
In September 2021, beneath its controversial coverage, the College of Colorado mandated COVID-19 vaccination for all people accessing its services or collaborating in its applications, with strictly restricted exemptions. Authorized challenges have been rapidly mounted as affected events claimed that their rights to spiritual freedom have been being infringed upon.
“Thomas Extra Society attorneys filed their lawsuit in September 2021, within the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Colorado in opposition to the College of Colorado, the chancellor of the Anschutz Faculty of Drugs and the college’s senior affiliate dean of medical training. The unique lawsuit was filed for a Catholic physician and a Buddhist pupil, who have been unable to take the vaccine on account of their sincerely and deeply held spiritual convictions, and in October 2021, over a dozen extra employees and college students have been added to the lawsuit. They’re looking for injunctive aid, damages, and lawyer’s charges in opposition to the College for its illegal discrimination and violations of basic constitutional rights,” Thomas Extra Society mentioned in its press launch.
Peter Breen, Govt Vice President and Head of Litigation on the Thomas Extra Society, expressed vindication, stating, “The College of Colorado ran roughshod overstaff and college students of religion throughout COVID, and the Courtroom of Appeals has now declared plainly what we’ve fought to determine for nearly three years: the College acted with ‘spiritual animus’ and flagrantly violated the elemental spiritual liberties of those courageous healthcare suppliers and college students. These medical suppliers have been hailed as heroes, as they served bravely on the entrance traces via the worst of the pandemic, however when their spiritual rules conflicted with the beliefs of College of Colorado bureaucrats, these heroes have been callously tossed apart.”
“With this ruling in favor of our shoppers, the Courtroom of Appeals has made clear that folks of religion should not second-class residents—they’re deserving of full respect and the safety of the US Structure of their free train of faith. By unlawfully and intrusively probing our employees and college students’ spiritual beliefs, the College rendered worth judgments that not solely reeked of non secular bigotry however violated our shoppers’ constitutional rights, in addition to fundamental decency. We’re grateful for this sturdy courtroom determination in favor of non secular liberty.
“The Courtroom of Appeals appropriately dominated that no authorities entity has the precise to nominate itself as a doctrinal tribunal that defines which spiritual beliefs depend as deeply and sincerely held and deem these spiritual beliefs legitimate or invalid. We’re additionally inspired that this ruling reaffirms and strengthens our bedrock First Modification protections for numerous many others into the longer term,” Breen mentioned.
The courtroom’s findings included stunning revelations of how the college administration made arbitrary choices on what constitutes a professional spiritual perception.
Particular situations cited within the ruling included unfair therapy of Roman Catholic and Buddhist candidates, whose objections to vaccination have been dismissed as mere private beliefs reasonably than real spiritual convictions.
Furthermore, the courtroom took situation with the college’s intrusive questioning into the sincerity of candidates’ spiritual beliefs—a follow that not solely undermines private dignity but additionally violates constitutional protections.
