MANSFIELD, Connecticut — A federal lawsuit filed against the University of Connecticut's mandate requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was dismissed by a judge on Monday.
The university is requiring mandatory vaccines for most students in order to come back to school for the 2021-2022 school year. Its policy was challenged with a lawsuit.
The lawsuit argued, "imposing mandatory vaccinations as a condition for attending UConn violates their Fourth Amendment procedural due process." It went on to say it violated state and federal laws that give individuals an option to choose.
According to the Harford Courant, the judge cited a lack of federal jurisdiction over the case.
"Only if it is clear that a plaintiff has an actual or imminent injury that is fairly traceable to the government’s action and is redressable by a court order of relief,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer wrote in the dismissal order. "That is not this case."
Meyer said in Monday's ruling that two of the three students involved in the lawsuit have received exemptions to the vaccination mandate, which renders their claims moot. He said the third student has not applied for an exemption, so she can't sue the school.
UConn has already given more than 500 non-medical vaccine exemptions as of August 4.
The Courant added that the judge said two of the three people who sued the university have already received exemptions for the requirement, which makes their claims moot.
“The university is pleased with the court’s decision. Our student vaccination program continues to be very successful, and we look forward to reopening for the fall semester with our campuses as safe and healthy as possible," said UConn in a written statement.
UConn is not the only school being sued over its vaccine requirement. It was only last week that Supreme Court declined to hear the lawsuit over Indiana Univerisity's vaccine mandate. Justice Amy Coney Barret denied the challenge with no notes of dissent from the other judges.
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