Today, a federal district court issued a crucial order that will help protect religious liberty for America’s military service members.

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Merryday granted a classwide preliminary injunction to protect service members in the U.S. Marine Corps from the unlawful federal COVID vaccine mandate. Our friends at Liberty Counsel pursued this class action relief on behalf of all U.S. Marines who were denied religious accommodations from the mandate.

As the fight for religious accommodations to the vaccine mandate continues, this is an important win for religious freedom in America’s armed forces.

It extends protection to all those in active or reserve duty in the Marine Corps. This protects First Liberty’s own Director of Military Affairs Mike Berry, a member of the Marine Corps Reserve whose religious accommodation request was denied earlier this year.

This is the third injunction issued by a federal judge granting classwide protection. First Liberty previously secured the first major classwide inunction in our U.S. Navy SEALS case. A federal judge also extended class protection to U.S. Air Force service members, which was favorable to the multiple U.S. Air Force clients we’re representing. 

This means service members across three branches of the military are protected as these cases move forward.

Discriminating against religious service members is illegal. The First Amendment, federal laws and military regulations state that all service members have a right to serve our country without having to violate their beliefs.

Even with this victory in hand, there’s still a great deal of work ahead to fully vindicate our men and women in uniform. We’re still fighting our Navy SEALs and Air Force cases in federal court, which means many important legal battles are on the horizon. And we need your support to deliver a victory.

Just as they did not give up on their country, First Liberty will not give up fighting for their rights.

Please donate today and help First Liberty keep defending our military heroes.