In separate class action lawsuits, some 40 Navy SEALs are collectively suing the Joe Biden Administration over the vaccine mandates, citing unconstitutional actions taken by the Administration that violate federal law, such as denying religious exemptions for emergency use only vaccines.
In one class action lawsuit, Navy SEALs represented by Liberty Counsel appeared in court Monday, marking a huge milestone in the fight for bodily autonomy and freedom of religion. Their lawsuit calls on Biden to stop vaccine mandates for military personnel on the basis of denying religious exemptions that the Department of Defense (DoD) has routinely granted military personnel for years before Biden stepped into officer.
Liberty Counsel’s lawsuit isn’t just defending Navy SEALs, however. Their lawsuit also demands an end to the vaccine mandates for all Federal contractors, employees, and servicemembers (e.g. members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and other select military departments) Further, they intensified their legal efforts by training 90-plus attorneys to handle more cases of Biden Administration threats to bodily autonomy and religious freedom nationwide.
According to Liberty Counsel, the vaccine mandates for military personnel violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, passed in 1993, which allows military personnel in most cases to deny federal orders violating their religious beliefs.
In addition to Liberty Counsel, First Liberty is representing 35 Navy SEALs in a separate class action lawsuit concerning the vaccine mandate. Their lawsuit is similar to Liberty Counsel’s in that it also alleges the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate violated Federal Laws upholding religious freedom.
First Liberty asserts that Federal Law forces the military to allow religious exemptions for any requirement, including vaccination. Therefore, First Liberty asserts in their lawsuit that the DoD and Biden Administration are acting unconstitutionally and must follow federal law and provide religious exemptions to those who seek them.
The Supreme Court has ruled previously that the Federal Government cannot intervene in matters of health, since health falls under the Right to Privacy as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court classified health as a matter between a person and their doctor and therefore declared the government could not intervene in a personal health choice made by consent of a physician. Health, according to the ruling, encapsulates the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of an individual.
Therefore, any decision to vaccinate or refuse vaccination could be interpreted as a choice between an individual and their doctor and a protected right under the Constitution.
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– John Paluska, CNJ Staff