Amish community petitions Supreme Court over New York vaccine mandate

Amish schools and parents have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge a New York law that removed religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates in 2019. The plaintiffs argue that the mandate, implemented following a measles outbreak in New York City, effectively prohibits the practice of the Amish faith because it lacks evidence that cases occurred within Amish communities.

Legal counsel for the petitioners, including Aaron Siri and the First Liberty Institute, contend that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals incorrectly dismissed the relevance of precedents regarding parents' rights to direct their children's religious upbringing. They argue that if the current mandate is upheld, the Amish community may be forced to leave the state to maintain their religious practices.