by Michelle Edwards at Uncover DC
On Monday, in Church v Biden, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the Plaintiffs’ emergency application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and motion for a preliminary injunction. Despite the judge’s denial, the 41-page order establishes that the Plaintiffs seeking an exemption from receiving any COVID-19 vaccine due to a sincerely held religious belief will not lose their jobs while their request is pending. Pleased with the proceedings thus far, Plaintiff attorney Mike Yoder told UncoverDC the ruling just as easily could have been “denied as moot.” He explained there is currently no need for an injunction because “we’ve been successful in getting the government to change their position.”
Yoder commented the court’s denial of the injunction was due to modifications made by the Defendants—the U.S. government—to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) to “protect itself against a preliminary injunction that would’ve lasted indefinitely if entered.” He added, “Before the liberal media grabs ahold of this, just know—we didn’t get a preliminary injunction NOT because we are not winning or correct. We are winning, and anyone that tells you different is lying to you. We will win this.”
Task Force guidance directs that “federal employees need to be fully vaccinated by November 22, 2021.” CDC guidelines dictate that an individual is not “fully vaccinated” until two weeks after receiving the required number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. That means federal employees must have received their “last dose of the vaccine by no later than November 8, 2021, to meet the November 22, 2021 deadline to be fully vaccinated.” Plaintiffs’ concerns arose, as the initial lawsuit points out, over the particulars surrounding the government directive that federal employees who fail to comply with the deadline and “have neither received an exception request nor have an exception request under consideration” are “subject to discipline, up to and including termination or removal.”…
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