Topic
Vaccine Mandates
1,457 published works
Municipal Minute
Court Upholds Termination of Hospital Pharmacist Who Refused Vaccine
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a county's termination of a county employee after she refused to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine as required by the county's pandemic policy in…
Wait A Second!
Second Circuit clarifies prior ruling on reasonable accommodations in religious discrimination cases
By secondcircuitcivilrightsblogsecondcircuitcivilrig
The Court of Appeals has clarified a prior ruling interpreting Title VII's requirement that the plaintiff prove she was denied a reasonable accommodation because of her religion. The clarification does…
Religion Clause
In Covid Vaccine Case, 9th Circuit Concurrence Argues for Overruling Smith v. Employment Division
In Lewis-Williams v. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, (9th Cir., Sept. 11, 2026), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury's verdict against the Bay Area Rapid Transit…
Religion Clause
4th Circuit Debates When the Reason for Seeking an Accommodation Under Title VII Is "Religious"
In Wilkins-Bailey v. Essity Professional Hygiene North America, LLC, (4th Cir., Sept. 1, 2026), the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, held that a North Carolina federal…
Religion Clause
9th Circuit: Futile Reassignment Process Did Not Reasonably Accommodate Religious Objections to Covid Vaccine
In Cherry v. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, (9th Cir., Aug. 21, 2026), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Department of Fish and Wildlife did not…
Employment Law Worldview
Failure to Reasonably Accommodate Religious Beliefs Snares Wildlife Department, Nets Win for Employees (US)
A recent decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit—Cherry et al. v Washington Dep’t of Fish & Wildlife, et al., is a primer in employer…
The Employer Handbook Blog
A Religious Accommodation Claim Requires More Than a Request and a Denial
An employee requested a religious exemption from a vaccine mandate but initially refused to answer most of her employer’s follow-up questions. By the time she completed the form, the employer…
Ross Runkel Blog
University of Washington immune in COVID vax suit
By Ross Runkel
The University of Washington is an “arm of the state.” Thus, it has 11th amendment immunity for claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that employees were fired for failure…
Wait A Second!
2d Circuit holds Supreme Court has changed the rules for reasonable accommodation cases
By secondcircuitcivilrightsblogsecondcircuitcivilrig
The Second Circuit holds that its prima facie test for failure-to-accommodate claims is no longer good law following the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores. The…
Religion Clause
9th Circuit: Employee Adequately Alleged Religious Objections to Covid Vaccine
In Weiss v. The Permanente Group, (9th Cir., July 24, 2026), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded a California federal district court's dismissal of Title VII and…