Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office and 21 other states filed an amicus brief in U.S. Navy Seals v. Biden, opposing the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the military. The brief asserts that the refusal to grant religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine to members of the United States Navy violates the right to religious liberty.
“I joined an amicus brief that supports the Navy Seals’ religious freedom and opposes the continued overreach of the Biden Administration,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “My Office has been a national leader in the fight against tyrannical COVID-19 policies, especially as the first state to file suit to halt the OSHA vaccine mandate on private businesses. With this brief, we’re continuing this critically important fight against government overreach at every level.”
The brief states, “In the past year, courts have recognized the overreaching and flawed claims of legal authority underlying the Administration’s response [to COVID-19], the tension between its policies and the facts, and its inconsistent statements and actions that undercut its claims of good faith.” Therefore, the states assert, it is clear that the typical deference given to military authorities does not apply in this case.
Joining Missouri in filing the amicus brief are Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The amicus brief can be read at this link.
