Justice Amy Coney Barrett is coming under fire for declining a request to block Indiana University’s vaccine mandate for students.
The decision: Barrett, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump, is the circuit justice for the 7th Circuit, which covers Indiana. She rejected a motion for emergency relief from a group of students who challenged Indiana University’s vaccine mandate.
Barrett acted alone and did not refer the matter to the full court.
Why it matters? Barrett’s action marks the first time that a Supreme Court Justice has been asked to weigh in on the legality of vaccination mandates since the start of the pandemic.
Worth noting: The students, who cited several situations in which they believe a vaccine should not be mandated, such as medical conditions, having natural antibodies, and the risks associated with the vaccine, lost their challenge in lower courts as well.
The courts pointed to a Supreme Court decision from 1905 that said a state may require people to get vaccinated against smallpox.
“These plaintiffs just need to wear a mask and be tested, requirements that are not constitutionally problematic,” the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals said, contending that vaccination requirements “have been common in this nation.”
The school says that students have to either be fully vaccinated or get tested weekly if they qualify for an exemption.
Critics blasted Barrett on social media.
“Amy Coney Barrett continues to show she never deserved the job in the first place. What a waste of a Supreme Court appointee,” one user wrote.
“I think Justice Amy Coney Barrett just spit in Republicans faces & basically said wear your mask, get your vaccine, and shut the f**k up about it,” said another user.
“Forced vaccination on students went from a conspiracy theory to a reality. Amy Coney Barrett should be ashamed of herself. Forcing kids to get a new coronavirus jab? Beyond evil,” another critic tweeted.
“Amy Coney Barrett is a coward and traitor,” a user said.
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