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An officer in the U.S. Marines contends that an increasingly politicized Marine Corps is destroying its core values – honor, courage, and commitment – by labeling it a "serious offense" to refuse the COVID jab. Prayer, he says, may be the only way to bring about correction. Read more ... |
Nine U.S. senators and 38 members of the House of Representatives have filed an amicus brief in support of a large group of Navy SEALs represented by First Liberty Institute in a lawsuit against the Biden administration's inoculation mandate for members of the military.
First Liberty filed the federal lawsuit and moved for a preliminary injunction on behalf of dozens of U.S. Navy SEALs and other Naval Special Warfare personnel against the Biden administration and the Department of Defense for their refusal to grant religious accommodations for the COVID-19 mandate.
Mike Berry, General Counsel at First Liberty Institute, contends it's "noteworthy" when members of Congress file a brief at this point in a legal case.
"It's pretty rare to get an amicus brief at the district court stage," he tells AFN. "Usually, members of Congress will weigh in at the Supreme Court stage – but it's not often that they will weigh in at this stage of a legal case unless it's a particularly important case."
And this case is important, says the attorney, because the government is not above the law.
"You can't require people to take a vaccine that violates their religious beliefs and then turn around and tell [them] But if you have a medical issue with the vaccine, then you're fine. You don't have to get it if you have a medical issue," Berry offers.
"Or the military has admitted that they've granted administrative exemptions, whatever that might be," he adds.
"So why are we treating religion less favorably than we treat medical exemptions and administrative exemptions? That's unconstitutional … and that violates federal law."
