A group of 35 Navy sailors who have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine are now protected from any possible punishment from the Defense Department after a judge blocked the agency from taking action.
Now, some are questioning what the federal judge's decision will mean for the Pentagon's requirement that all U.S. troops get the shot, The Washington Post reported.
The decision was made by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, who found that the pandemic "provides the government with no license to abrogate" the freedoms that any American has.
He also added that those serving their country have the right to deny a vaccination for religious circumstances.
"This Court does not make light of COVID-19′s impact on the military. Collectively, our armed forces have lost over 80 lives to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic," O'Connor wrote Monday in a 26-page order.
However, the judge went on to say that a soldier's "loss of religious liberties outweighs any forthcoming harm to the Navy." Even with dire circumstances, nothing justifies "the loss of constitutional rights."
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The judge shared that the service members who sought religious accommodations went through a Navy process that "by all accounts, it is theater." Of the 35 sailors, 29 had their requests denied with many appealing, his ruling said.
"The Navy has not granted a religious exemption to any vaccine in recent memory," O'Connor wrote. "It merely rubber stamps each denial."
On Monday night, John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said that defense officials are reviewing the injunction.
Those who refused the vaccine include Navy SEALs and other Naval Special Warfare Command members.
In November, the group filed a lawsuit against President Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, and the Defense Department for the Navy's vaccine requirement.
The troops claimed their Christian beliefs were behind them not wanting to take a vaccine developed from aborted fetal cell lines. They added that modification of their bodies was an "affront to their creator."
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The suit was filed with the First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit organization specializing in defending religious liberties.
Michael Berry, a lawyer with the nonprofit, said the ruling "sends a clear message to the Biden administration, to the Pentagon and to the Navy that our service members do not give up their religious freedom when they serve their country," the Post reported.
The mandate from Austin was announced in August, citing the need for military readiness. Since then, the Defense Department has started to end the military careers of those who have denied the vaccine.
The Air Force and Marine Corps began administratively separating service members last month, with the Navy and Army expected to this month.
