Rep. Jack Bergman and 37 House Republicans led by Rep. Mike Johnson, filed an Amicus Brief before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas in support of 35 Navy service members seeking religious accommodations for the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The brief states: “The very first clause of the very First Amendment explicitly states that ‘Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise’ of religion. This amendment, case law, and Congress’s decision to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act all testify to the fact that, without entrenched, generally applicable, and judicially enforceable protections for religious liberty, lawmakers and government bureaucrats are susceptible to override sincere religious beliefs in favor of what they mistakenly see as the greater good. That is what is happening with Defendants’ vaccine mandate.” The brief continues: “Plaintiffs’ religious liberty and the government’s asserted interest in protecting our service members from COVID-19 need not be in conflict, especially where, as here, the individuals seeking an exemption are willing to adopt non-vaccination measures to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19.” The brief concludes: “Indeed, the impact on the military and our national security strongly counsels in favor […]

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