Staff Report

WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court turned away a request from a group of Indiana University students who claimed the university’s vaccine mandate was unconstitutional.

Amy Coney Barrett

Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday rejected a plea from a group of Indiana University students to stop the university’s requirement that all students be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Barrett received the request because she is the Supreme Court justice tasked with emergency petitions from that region of the country and did not give a reason, according to numerous media reports.

The decision is the first case about vaccination requirements to reach the Supreme Court. Both a federal district judge and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals had rejected the request that the university’s requirement be put on hold.

The university announced the policy in May. Classes begin on Aug. 23.

The university offers exemptions for religious and medical reasons.

Coney Barrett was a professor at the Univesity of Notre Dame and lived in South Bend when she was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump in 2020.

The decision comes as a variant of the coronavirus continues to expand in certain regions of the country and attacks those who are unvaccinated.

At the same time, requirements for the vaccine continue to expand among employers, schools and entertainment venues.