Eight IU students had sought a court order prohibiting the university from enforcing its vaccination requirements, claiming the policy violated both their constitutional rights and the state’s new law banning vaccine passports.
CHICAGO (CBS/AP/CNN) — A federal judge has denied a bid to block Indiana University’s requirement that all students and employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus in the fall. Eight IU students had sought a preliminary injunction prohibiting the university from enforcing its vaccination requirements while they pursued a lawsuit claiming that the university’s policy violated both their constitutional rights and the state’s new law banning vaccine passports. In a ruling issued on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty rejected their request. “Recognizing the students’ significant liberty to refuse unwanted medical treatment, the Fourteenth Amendment permits Indiana University to pursue a reasonable and due process of vaccination in the legitimate interest of public health for its students, faculty, and staff,” Leighty wrote in a 101-page opinion. “The students haven’t established a likelihood of success on the merits of their Fourteenth Amendment claim or the many requirements that must precede the extraordinary remedy of a preliminary injunction.” The judge said the students who object to receiving the vaccine shots can seek medical and religious exemptions offered by the university, while also having the option of taking the fall semester off or attending another school.
