The Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling barring the Navy from deploying seals based on their COVID-19 vaccine status.
This ruling allows the Navy to prevent the deployment of SEALs if they are not vaccinated. As reported Just the newsSEALs have filed a lawsuit challenging NAVY’s COVID-19 principles after denying religious exemptions.
The reason for the decision was not disclosed in the unsigned verdict.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a unanimous opinion, however, that the court should not make the Pentagon a second guess when it comes to troop readiness.
“There is a tremendous vested interest in maintaining strategic and operational control over the recruitment and deployment of all special naval warfare personnel – including control over decisions on military readiness,” Kavanaugh wrote.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch all said they would reject the Navy’s request.
“The court has done a great disservice to the 35 respondents – the Navy SEALs and others in the Naval Special Warfare community – who have volunteered to take on dangerous and demanding responsibilities to protect our country,” Alito Gorsuch wrote in a dissent. “These people appear to have been mistreated by the navy and the court has set them aside.”