The Trump-appointed justice offered no explanation for dismissing an application for emergency relief.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett struck a surprising blow against those seeking to defy COVID vaccine mandates on Thursday when she dismissed a challenge to a college’s mandate without comment. A group of eight students at Indiana University sought an emergency injunction from the Supreme Court against their college’s vaccine mandate. In her role supervising the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Barrett reviewed the motion and denied it. Barrett chose not to refer the matter to the full nine-justice court and offered no explanation for her decision in a move that could have wider implications for vaccine mandates across the nation. The plaintiffs, represented by conservative attorney James Bopp Jr., had failed to convince judges of the district and circuit courts of the merits of their argument. Bopp filed an emergency application for an injunction on August 6, which Barrett dismissed on Thursday. That decision could be an indication of how the Supreme Court may rule on the legality of vaccine mandates.
