Monday, June 24, 2024 – In a disappointing turn of events, the U.S. Supreme Court this morning issued an order denying certiorari review in our lawsuit to restore religious exemptions for schoolchildren in Connecticut. It is a sad day for health freedom and religious liberty in America, as the Court today also denied review in two cases brought by Children’s Health Defense, one against Rutgers University over its COVID-19 shot mandate, and the other against the FDA challenging its licensure of the covid shot for children. It seems clear that the Court is not willing to take up these cases at this time, no matter how well-pled the complaints, or how compelling the facts.
But WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN, and we will not lose hope. We know that there is a Divine plan in all of this, and that “all things work together unto good” (Romans 8:28). Even in this loss, in fact, there is some good news:
Our case against the State of Connecticut to restore religious exemptions was not fully dismissed by the Second Circuit, which allowed one of our claims to proceed – i.e., that a child with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is entitled to an education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Second Circuit sent this claim back to the district court for trial, but it has been on hold pending the outcome of our cert petition at the Supreme Court. If we are able to win this trial, children with disabilities on IEPs could receive an education and vital support services, regardless of vaccination status.
We recently claimed a victory in our case on behalf of Milford Christian Church and Little Eagles Preschool & Daycare. You may recall that we filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Connecticut after it attempted to shut down the school because it continued to honor religious exemptions for students. This was a direct attack on religion by the state, and earlier this month a federal judge allowed us to proceed in the lawsuit with an amended complaint. We now look forward to a trial in that case as well, which would give religious/parochial schools the ability to accept religious exemptions to vaccinations for students.
If we are ultimately victorious in these two cases, students with disabilities and students at private religious schools would be able to opt out of vaccinations and receive an education in Connecticut. A victory in either of these cases at the Second Circuit would also apply to students in New York, which lost its school religious exemption in 2019. Although it’s not the broad, sweeping victory we were aiming for, these cases could still open the door for hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of children to receive an education in New York and Connecticut.
So we are asking that you please continue to stand with us. We are engaged in a prolonged war to regain health freedom and religious liberty for as many children as possible. This was just one loss in a single battle, and does not define us. We still have much work to do, not only in the two trials we just mentioned, but in many others playing out across the country. Please consider supporting us so that we can continue to fight, by making a gift to our Mid-Year Giving Campaign today. God bless you. Stay strong.