Press Statement
For Immediate Release: 2.16.23
Contact: Peyton Luke, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Statement from First Liberty Institute Regarding Navy’s Updated Vaccine Guidance
Washington, D.C.—The following statement may be attributed to Mike Berry, Director of Military Affairs for First Liberty Institute, regarding the Secretary of the Navy’s updated COVID-19 vaccine guidance:
We are still assessing the impact of this policy on our Navy SEAL clients and more than 4000 class members. But this is an encouraging step towards ensuring the Navy does not continue to discriminate against sailors who sought religious exemptions from the Covid vaccine requirement. We are hopeful that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will uphold religious liberty within America’s military. First Liberty will not stop fighting until we have complete assurance that the Navy will respect religious liberty.
In January 2022, First Liberty Institute and Hacker Stephens LLP won the nation’s first injunction against the military’s vaccine mandate in Navy SEALs v. Biden. The lawsuit was originally filed on behalf of dozens of U.S. Navy SEALs and other Naval Special Warfare personnel, and the lawsuit was later amended and a new injunction granted to protect a class of all 4,000 sailors who submitted requests for religious accommodation from the mandate. Oral argument in the case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit took place last week. A decision is expected this spring.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact Peyton Luke at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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