American Family News reported last month when First Liberty Institute announced that the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Department of Defense (DOD) from punishing Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare personnel who have religious objections to the Department's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
First Liberty Institute has now submitted documents describing the many ways the U.S. Navy is violating the preliminary injunction. The motion requests that the court set a hearing and order the Navy and Department of Defense to show cause as to why they should not be held in contempt of the court.
"Unfortunately the government has been ignoring that preliminary injunction and has been continuing to take vindictive and punishing actions against these Navy SEALS and Special Warfare personnel who just want to follow their religious convictions and have the rights that the Constitution provides them," says Justin Butterfield, deputy general counsel at First Liberty Institute.
He calls the Navy's actions reprehensible.
"Like keeping one Navy SEAL from getting medical care that he needed for a traumatic brain injury -- he was told no because he sought a religious accommodation against the Navy's vaccine mandate," Butterfield gives as an example. "We've had other clients who have been told they're not allowed to leave their base even to get groceries or gas without permission because they sought a religious accommodation request from the military for this vaccine."
Butterfield says this religious discrimination must stop.
