SCOTUS won’t block Indiana University’s vaccine policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – A challenge to a higher education vaccine mandate failed in the Supreme Court Thursday.

The Supreme Court refused to block Indiana University’s requirement that students receive a COVID vaccine to attend in-person classes this fall. It was the first legal test of a COVID vaccine mandate to come before the justices.

A challenge to the policy was directed to Amy Coney Barrett, the Justice in charge of that region of the country, who denied it. There were no noted dissents from other justices.

Eight Indiana students asked the court for an emergency order to block the vaccine requirement, arguing that the risks associated with the vaccine outweighed the potential benefits to the population in their age group.

A federal judge ruled last month that the school had a right to pursue “a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff.”

The students have many options, the judge said, such as applying for an exemption, taking the semester off, viewing classes online, or attending another university.

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