Court says neutral health-data rules can stand – see what survived and why
Chicago’s COVID testing portal fight ends with a win for the city and a strong signal on how far HR can go with health reporting.
On December 2, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld Chicago’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing policy against a challenge from a group of city employees, most of them police officers. The workers alleged that the city overstepped by requiring them to enter their vaccination status and weekly test results into an employee portal, even after granting them religious exemptions from getting the shot.
For HR leaders, the case goes to the heart of a tough pandemic-era question: once you grant a religious exemption, how far can you still push on safety rules and data reporting?
Chicago’s policy, introduced in October 2021, required city employees either to be fully vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The policy also required employees to report their vaccination status and, if unvaccinated, weekly COVID-19 test results through an employee portal. Employees who failed to follow those testing and reporting rules were placed in a non-disciplinary, no-pay status until they reported their results.
Seventeen employees, including sixteen current or former Chicago police officers and one officer from the Office of Emergency Management, initially refused to enter their information even after supervisors gave direct orders. Those who eventually...
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