A vaccine-mandate firing just changed how workers must prove faith discrimination in three states
A federal appeals court changed what workers must prove in religious accommodation claims across three states.
On July 15, 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated a lower court ruling that had favored a former court officer fired over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The decision reworks what employees in the circuit must show when they claim their employer failed to accommodate their religion, and it sends the case back to the trial court.
The officer had worked for the New York State Unified Court System since 2016. In September 2021, the court system told staff to get vaccinated or obtain a medical or religious exemption to keep their jobs. She sought a religious exemption, attaching a personal statement, scripture verses and a letter from her pastor objecting to fetal stem-cell lines used in developing the major vaccines.
A review committee asked her to complete a supplemental form about her past use of vaccines and medical treatments. She returned it mostly blank, writing that she had "lived [her] entire life devoted to Jesus Christ" and that her family "strive to keep [their] individual medical information private." The committee denied the request in December 2021. She did not get vaccinated and was terminated on April 7, 2022. The court system dropped the mandate in February 2023 and reinstated her that June.
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