She got fired, got reinstated, won in court - then the legal test changed
A court officer who refused a COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds got fired, won at trial - then had that victory snatched away on appeal.
The Second Circuit on July 15 vacated the ruling in her favor, holding the district court used an outdated legal test for religious accommodation claims under Title VII. The amended decision, issued September 15, retires the old framework.
The worker started with the New York State Unified Court System (UCS) in 2016. When UCS rolled out its vaccine mandate in September 2021, employees had until October 18 to get vaccinated or secure an exemption. An 11-member committee reviewed 1,200 requests, using a supplemental form to probe beliefs about fetal stem cells or bodily integrity.
The worker filed her exemption with a personal statement, scripture references, and a pastor's letter. UCS sent back the supplemental form. 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 her exemption on December 29, 2021. When she submitted a completed form before the deadline, the response was blunt: its "decisions are final." She went on leave and was terminated on April 7, 2022. UCS dropped the mandate in February 2023 and reinstated her that June.
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