In a split decision, a three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Friday afternoon reversing the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) employees challenging the district’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The suit was remanded back to the District Court level, where it will proceed toward trial.
On the merits, the district court misapplied the Supreme Court’s decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), stretching it beyond its public health rationale. We vacate the district court’s order dismissing this claim and remand for further proceedings under the correct legal standard.
There are some pretty big takeaways from this ruling that could lead to ripple effects in other lawsuits, especially if the evidence at trial bears out what is in the pleadings and the court or a jury finds that evidence…
