Kamaya Young fills vaccine syringes, sorting them by vaccine, during the COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic at the Breslin Center on Jan. 26, 2022. The vaccine she works with here is Pfizer, but she was filling both Moderna and J&J as well.
—A federal judge ruled to dismiss a lawsuit against MSU's vaccine mandate on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
The plaintiffs, MSU administrative associate and fiscal officer Jeanna Norris and former MSU employees D’Ann Rohrer and Kraig Ehm, sued the university for its vaccine requirement, arguing they all have “natural immunity” after getting sick with COVID-19.
Norris and her former colleagues were represented by Jenin Younes from the New Civil Liberties Alliance. Younes said she was disappointed, but is planning to appeal to the Sixth Circuit.
“It's our contention that that level of review is inappropriate for something that involves an injection into someone's body,” Younes said. “We tried to convince (the judge) that a higher level of review should apply, it didn't work, but we are optimistic about the Sixth Circuit.”
Younes hopes to file the appeal in the next few months but said it depends on the briefing schedule. She said a “silver lining” is the increased amount of research on the subject of natural immunity's effects on becoming infected with COVID-19.
“My impression is that the (plaintiffs) feel as though we fought for them,” Younes said. “They're happy that we're going on, we're not giving up. Of course, they're disappointed.”
MSU deputy spokesperson Dan Olsen mentioned the importance of the vaccine to university-wide safety.
“We appreciate the court's careful consideration in this case,” Olsen said in a statement. “We know vaccines are one of the few and most effective ways at preventing severe illness and death.”
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