Background

Liberty Counsel on Friday (Oct 15, 2021) announced a class action lawsuit on behalf of members of all five branches of the U.S. military – the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard – against President Joe Biden over his orders they take the experimental COVID shots or face dishonorable discharge. [1]

“The Biden administration has no authority to require the COVID shots for the military or for federal employees or civilian contractors,” explained Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel chairman. [1]

“Nor can the Biden administration pretend that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment do not apply to its unlawful mandates. The commander-in-chief must end this shameful treatment and abuse of our brave military heroes. Forcing the COVID shots without consent or consideration for their sincere religious beliefs is illegal.” [1]

It seeks a temporary restraining order preventing Biden and his appointees from “enforcing, threatening to enforce, attempting to enforce, or otherwise requiring compliance with the Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate…” [1]

Other defendants are Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. [1]

Liberty Counsel said the non-military plaintiffs include a Department of Defense contractor who has conducted Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance quantitative and qualitative assessments and studies, whose assessments are briefed to DOD senior leadership to inform decisions on future employment, allocation, and procurement; a federal civilian engineer employed by a large military defense contractor that provides LCD screens used in United States Armed Forces aircraft; a federal civilian contractor employer whose company develops and supports military weapons systems, including current and next generation land vehicles for the Army and next generation Navy vessels; a federal nuclear contractor employee who is a young woman opposed to abortion and who desires to have children of her own one day; and a Department of Energy Civilian Nuclear Tech who works at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. [1]

Liberty Counsel has been providing legal assistance to more than 700 service members from the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Liberty Counsel maintains an internal “Service Member Final Denial List” for service members who have contacted Liberty Counsel and whose final Religious Accommodation Request appeals have been denied. Based on this list alone, the U.S. military will continue to lose highly qualified and experienced personnel. [3]

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Liberty Counsel represents plaintiffs from all branches of the military who were denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate. The military has violated the Constitution and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act with this unlawful COVID shot mandate. The abuse of military heroes is inhumane and unlawful. The Department of Defense acts likes it is above the law. This abuse and unlawful action must end.” [3]

The Plaintiffs:

The action in U.S. District Court in Florida is on behalf of two Navy SEALs, a Navy EOD Officer, a Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer, a Navy Chaplain, two Marine Lt. Colonels, two Marine Lance Corporals, an Air Force Major, an Air Force Technical Sergeant, an Army National Guardsman, an Army Colonel, and a Coast Guard Lieutenant. [1] As of March, 30 plaintiffs are listed [4]

The individuals for whom the case was filed are not named, but in a sworn statement on Navy chaplain explained,

“I personally observed (and the Sailors told me in the course of counseling about) tremendous amounts of coercion, bullying, censorship, and intimidation being brought forth by the command to bear against the personnel who expressed objections of any kind to the COVID shot mandates, including religious objections…And clearly, the military has lost more lives to the increase in suicide from 2020-2021 (at least 1,012) than to all of COVID in 2 years (~52), but suicide has not been a focus.” [1]

• One plaintiff is a U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who faced immediate and irreparable harm beginning today. Her appeal for religious exemption was denied. Today she was to be added to the Officer Disciplinary Notebook, and her command selection withdrawn, irreparably damaging her career. This event would have begun the process of her ultimate discharge from the Marine Corps.   [5]
• Another plaintiff, a U.S. Navy Command Surface Warfare Officer, faced immediate discipline on February 3, at which time he would have been removed from command of his ship, irreparably damaging his career because he was denied a religious exemption from the COVID shot. [5]
• Also under Navy SEAL 1 v. Austin, Liberty Counsel is representing a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy who is seeking legal relief after the Colorado Springs-based school ordered him to choose either the COVID-19 vaccination or “voluntary” resignation from the Academy. [6]

The unnamed cadet, according to Liberty Counsel, believes that God has called him to serve in the Air Force – but also holds a sincerely held religious belief that he shouldn’t receive any of the COVID shots because of their connections to abortion. [6]

Gordon Klingenschmitt is a former Navy chaplain who attended the Air Force Academy and runs the Pray In Jesus Name project. He tells AFN

“Cadet X” isn’t the only military cadet taking a stand against the mandate. “I’m told now 16 cadets at West Point and an equal number at the Air Force Academy are in danger of being separated because of their religious views,” he concludes. [6]

Significance

This is an important case that challenges the Rights of the Individual over the Power of the State

Plaintiff’s Argument

The plaintiffs all hold sincere religious beliefs against the COVID shots on the basis that their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and to defile it is a sin against God. In addition, the plaintiffs do not want to participate directly or indirectly or otherwise be associated with the destruction of human life through abortion by injecting a product that contains or was tested or developed with aborted fetal cell lines. The plaintiffs have all submitted religious exemption requests from a COVID-19 injection which have been unlawfully denied. [8]

The COVID shots cannot be mandatory under the federal Emergency Use Authorization law, and the plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion is protected by the First Amendment. In addition, their free exercise of religion is protected under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA). Regarding RFRA, the Supreme Court wrote,[8]

“That statute prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it demonstrates that doing so both furthers a compelling governmental interest and represents the least restrictive means of furthering that interest. Because RFRA operates as a kind of super statute, displacing the normal operation of other federal laws, it might supersede Title VII’s commands in appropriate cases” (emphasis added).  [8]

…More information is needed…

The Proceedings

The flight surgeon Chambers testified that he was ordered to make sure troops received the shots and was told that religious exemptions would be denied. He said that up to 80% of military personnel have contracted COVID-19 despite having had two shots. However, he said, among the unvaccinated, the infection rate was 15%. Chambers said he has had to delay his plan to retire in 2023 because he developed demyelination of his central nervous system after being vaccinated. [2]

Tankersley, a recently retired flight surgeon, said he has witnessed during the pandemic an unprecedented “suppression of scientific dialogue.” He said the shots are neither safe nor effective, explaining the delivery mechanism of the mRNA vaccines bypasses the natural immune system and creates inflammation that can inhibit the body’s innate immunity. Tankersly said he has treated more than 200 COVID patients with no fatalities using treatments such as ivermectin. Meanwhile, the Defense Department insists that the only way to combat COVID is to force vaccination and get rid of personnel who won’t comply. [2]

Relevant Prior Judgements/ Cases

On September 9, 2021, Joe Biden signed an executive order attempting to force COVID shots on more Americans, including federal employees, all private employers with 100 or more employees, health care workers, educators and even children. [11]

The courts recognize the constitutional protections against these lawless mandates and are striking them down one by one. For example, here’s the various courts’ recent actions: [11]

• 11-30-21 – Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove (KY) grants preliminary injunction against mandate for federal contractors in KY, OH, TN.

• 12-7-21 – Judge Stan Baker (GA) grants nationwide injunction against mandate for federal contractors in GA, AL, ID, KS, SC, UT, WV.

• 12-15-21 Judge Dee Drell grants preliminary injunction regarding contracts and grants with the states of IN, LA, MS.

• 12-20-21 – Judge David Noce (MO) grants preliminary injunction against mandate for federal contractors in AK, AR, IA, MO, MT, NE, NH, ND, SD, WY.

• 12-22-21 – Judge Steven Merryday (FL) grants preliminary injunction against mandate for federal contractors in FL.

• 12-31-21 – Judge James Wesley Hendrix (TX) issues preliminary injunction against Head Start shot mandate in TX.

• 1-1-22 – Judge Terry A. Doughty (LA) grants preliminary injunction against Head Start mandate in AL, AK, AZ, AR, FL, GA, LA, IN, IA, KS, KY, MS, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, UT, WV, WY.

• 1-13-22 – The U.S. Supreme Court (6-3) issues a stay against OSHA mandates. OSHA has now repealed the mandate.

• 1-21-22 – Judge Jeffrey Brown (TX) grants preliminary injunction against mandate for federal workers nationwide.

Decision

…More information is needed…

Aftermath

…More information is needed…

Further Research

Court Documents:

• Read the Court Ruling
• restraining order on behalf of 22 (New & Additional) military plaintiffs in Navy SEAL 1 v. Austin
• Court Listener Timeline and evidence

In the news:

• Lt. Col. Theresa Long Silenced by U.S. Army After Grounding Pilots Experiencing Adverse Reactions to Covid ‘Vaccines’
• Affidavit Of Ltc. Theresa Long M.D. In Support Of A Motion For A Preliminary Injunction Order

Media

Keyword

Abortion, Austin, biden, Chambers, constitution, Defense, Department of Defense, DOD, Emergency Use Authorization, EUA, Exemption, Fetal Cell, First Amendment, Flight, Homeland Security, Liberty Counsel, Long, Mandate, Mayorkas, Merryday, Navy, Religious, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, RFRA, Seal, Secretary, Staver, suicide, Surgeon, Tankersley, Vaccine, Whistleblower, Witness