Federal Judge: NYC School Vax Mandate Stands While Religious Exemption Case Proceeds

A district judge denied a motion from New York City public school employees Tuesday for a preliminary injunction, on the basis of religious exemptions, against the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to ABC7NY.

Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York stated that since the plaintiffs “have not shown irreparable harm or a likelihood of success on the merits, their motion for a preliminary injunction is DENIED.”

Caproni continued, “with no basis for a preliminary injunction, the Court also denies Plaintiffs’ motion that Defendants be ordered to immediately reinstate them to their original positions prior to the enforcement of the vaccine mandate.”

An injunction would have blocked the city from mandating vaccines for public school employees while the court heard other arguments for religious exemptions from the mandate.

Caproni also denied the plaintiffs’ requests for provisional certification of a class of all Department of Education employees objecting to the mandate on religious grounds, stating “IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ motion to certify a class of all DOE employees who assert religious objections to the vaccine mandate is DENIED without prejudice because it is premature.”

Caproni’s ruling comes the day after the Supreme Court denied an injunction against New York’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

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