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The US Supreme Court Signals Constitutional Support 
for AVFCA's Fight for Religious Exemptions in CA School Vaccine Requirements!

A Voice for Choice Advocacy has an encouraging update to share in our effort to restore religious exemptions for school vaccine requirements in California. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Miller v. McDonald, vacated the lower court’s ruling, and remanded the case to the Second Circuit “for further consideration in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522 (2025).” You can read the official order here:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/120825zor_i4ek.pdf

This legal step from the Supreme Court is significant. Miller v. McDonald is a case brought by religious families in New York who argue that denying any religious exemption to school vaccine requirements violates their First Amendment rights. Earlier this year, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Court held that a school district policy refusing to allow religious opt-outs violated parents’ rights to exercise religion and to direct the religious upbringing of their children. By ordering the Second Circuit to reconsider Miller in light of Mahmoud, the Supreme Court is signaling that religious-based objections to school mandates must be given real consideration and evaluated under this renewed constitutional protection.

This development is highly relevant to AVFCA’s Religious Exemption lawsuit challenging SB 277, which eliminated all non-medical vaccine exemptions for California students. Our case similarly argues that refusing any religious opt-out violates parents’ First Amendment rights. We have already cited Mahmoud v. Taylor in our filings, and the Supreme Court’s action in Miller reinforces the principle that parents must be allowed to opt their children out of school requirements that conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs. Should our case ultimately reach the Supreme Court, there is now a strong signal that California parents’ religious rights would be taken seriously.Thank you for standing with us and helping ensure that families in California, and across the country, regain the right to make choices rooted in their sincere religious beliefs.  AVFCA will continue to monitor Miller and cases in other states, and share updates with you as they come. 

As mentioned in an email last week, our case is currently in the Appeals briefing process:

Opening Brief filed: October 8, 2025
Answering Brief due: on or before December 10, 2025
Reply Brief due (our final word): on or before December 31, 2025

👉 Case details & filings: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/litigation/ca-school-vaccine-religious-exemption-lawsuit/
 

Every step forward, every ruling, every brief brings us closer to restoring rights that never should have been taken away.  But progress only continues if AVFCA has the resources to fuel it.

AVFCA Needs YOUR HELP to do that!
Can we count on you to make one more donation
before the end of 2025?
All donations up to $50,000 will be matched!

Lawsuits take time and are very expensive.  AVFCA's legal team is prepared to take these cases all the way to the Supreme Court.  While AVFCA's legal team generously charges us a discounted hourly rate, this lawsuit will require hundreds of hours of their time and will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Thus far these cases have cost over $150,000, and we have a long way to go!  AVFCA has taken on paying for this lawsuit because of our passion for Health Rights and Medical Freedom, as well as our desire to ensure Religious Rights when it comes to vaccine mandates.  But AVFCA is completely funded by donations made by you.  So we need your help TODAY.  If you want to see a religious exemption instated for school vaccine requirements in California, as well as titer testing allowed in lieu of vaccination please donate today, so we can ensure this lawsuit will bring health rights and medical freedom back to California’s children. AVFCA does not often ask for donations, but this is one of those times...

Please DONATE make an End of the Year Donation TODAY
so we can maximize on our matching donation!

For other ways to donate and support A Voice for Choice, please go to our website: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/donate

Thank you in advance for your generosity.  Together we can make change happen!

C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org