Indiana Daily Student

Federal appeals court denies IU’s request to dismiss vaccine mandate lawsuit

<p>Then-junior Bryce Asher receives a COVID-19 vaccination April 12, 2021, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied IU’s request to dismiss a lawsuit regarding its vaccine mandate, according to a report from <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/federal-appeals-court-denies-iu-request-to-dismiss-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit-indiana-university-ruling-decision-exception-covid-19/531-b7c20a3d-cf87-4630-ad4b-d42619d00a05" target="_blank">WTHR</a>.</p>

Then-junior Bryce Asher receives a COVID-19 vaccination April 12, 2021, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied IU’s request to dismiss a lawsuit regarding its vaccine mandate, according to a report from WTHR.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied IU’s request to dismiss the lawsuit regarding its vaccine mandate, according to a report from WTHR. This decision comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision to refuse to hear the case in August.

IU’s vaccine mandate, adopted for the fall 2021 semester, requires all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption from vaccination before returning to campus. Approved exemptions include religious, medical and ethical exemptions, according to IU’s vaccination website.

In blocking IU’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case at a future date. The eight students challenging the mandate argue that it violates their constitutional rights to bodily integrity, autonomy and medical choice, according to a report from the New York Times.

The eight students challenging the mandate have all either received exemptions or have deferred attendance to IU, according to the report.

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