NEW YORK — The Supreme Court declined to hear a legal challenge regarding New York's former COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. The challenge stemmed from a lawsuit filed by employees who were terminated after their requests for religious exemptions from the mandate were denied.

The New York Department of Health issued an emergency rule in 2021 that required all licensed healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This rule did not permit blanket religious exemptions from the mandate. New York repealed this healthcare worker vaccine requirement in October 2023.

A group of employees at New York healthcare facilities sought religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate. Their employers rejected these requests for religious accommodations and terminated their employment. The terminated workers subsequently filed a lawsuit against New York Governor Kathy Hochul, other state officials, New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Trinity Health, and Westchester Medical Center Advanced Physician Services.

The workers argued that their employers' refusal to grant exemptions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. They contended that New York's COVID-19 vaccine mandate sanctioned the "blanket rejection" of all requests for religious accommodations under Title VII. A federal district court dismissed the case, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld that dismissal.

The healthcare facilities involved in the lawsuit argued that state law did not forbid employers from providing any religious accommodation, but only prohibited complete exemptions on religious grounds. Governor Kathy Hochul and other state officials stated that the state's vaccine rule allowed employers to offer options, such as moving unvaccinated workers into roles without patient exposure.