Supreme Court Leaves in Place Rulings Upholding New York’s Repealed Healthcare Vaccine Mandate over Religious Accommodation Claims

The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a lawsuit challenging New York's former COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. CBS News reported that the justices left in place lower-court rulings that dismissed the case. The dispute centered on a 2021 emergency rule from the New York Department of Health that required all licensed healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated.

State officials said the rule permitted some religious accommodations but barred blanket exemptions. Employers rejected requests from a group of workers who cited sincerely held religious beliefs and terminated their employment. The workers sued Gov.

Kathy Hochul, other state officials, New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Trinity Health, and Westchester Medical Center Advanced Physician Services. They argued that the refusals violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and that federal law superseded the state mandate. A federal district court dismissed the case, and the U.S.

Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld the dismissal. The workers appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that the 2nd Circuit ruling allowed state rules to override Title VII requirements. The healthcare facilities countered that the rule prohibited only complete exemptions on religious grounds and did not bar all accommodations.

Hochul and state officials told the court that employers could reassign unvaccinated workers to roles that limited exposure to patients and residents. The vaccine requirement was repealed in October 2023 after the federal public health emergency ended.