by Jorge Gomez, Digital Content Strategist • 3 minutes
On Monday, First Liberty—alongside law firms Siri & Glimstad, Lehotsky Cohn, and Chris Wiest, Attorney at Law, PLLC—filed a petition at the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of Amish clients in New York.
We’re asking the Court to make clear that it’s unconstitutional for the state to force Amish families to violate their religious beliefs in order to send their kids to school.
The Amish educate their children in private Amish schools and have done so for hundreds of years. These schools are in rural communities removed from the modern world. The state, however, says Amish children must receive vaccinations in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs in order to attend their own Amish schools.
For over 50 years, from 1966 until 2019, New York granted religious exemptions from the school vaccination requirements. But the state repealed that exemption in 2019. Lawmakers referred to religious beliefs opposing vaccination as “fake” and “garbage.” In 2022, the state imposed penalties in its attempt to force them to comply.
“State Health Department officials continue to slap thousands in fines on tiny, one-room parochial Amish schools which have refused to comply with a Cuomo-era vaccine decree,” The New York Post reports.
“Three schools listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit—Shady Lane school in Clymer, NY; Pleasant View in Heuvelton, NY and Dygert Road School together have racked up $118,000 in fines.”
The Amish sued in federal court, arguing the government was violating their parental rights and religious liberty. In 2025, First Liberty asked the Supreme Court to hear their case for a first time. We secured a victory when the Supreme Court sent the case back down for reconsideration in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor, a key decision protecting the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.
But, the lower federal courts have not followed or properly applied the Supreme Court’s direction. So, we’re asking the nation’s highest court—once again—to make it clear.
“The Amish community in New York wants to be left alone to live out their faith just like they have for nearly 200 years,” said Aaron Siri, Managing Partner at Siri & Glimstad.
“When you think of Americana—apple pie, fireworks—the Amish are on that list. They’re part of the American fabric. They’re a good litmus test of our religious liberty and our tolerance,” Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty, told the New York Post.
“Watch ‘Little House on the Prairie,’” Sasser continued. “It’s the one-room schoolhouse and Laura Ingalls Wilder teaching the kids. It’s a way of life that used to predominate across America, but the Amish are still holding on to it. We’ve acknowledged that as a nation and given them their space this whole time. And now that’s being tested.”
“Only the government could see the Amish as a threat,” Sasser added. “If New York wins, the Amish may be forced to flee the state after peacefully living there since the 1830s.”
Shannon Denmark, partner at Lehotsky Cohn said, “For decades, New York accommodated the sincerely held beliefs of the Amish. We are simply asking the Supreme Court to protect the Amish so that they can continue to live out their faith in New York.”
This case provides an opportunity for the Supreme Court to protect the rights of the Amish community in the Empire State.
