(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) – The Pentagon is consulting with the Justice Department on how to respond to an order Monday by a federal judge in Texas that the Navy is violating the First Amendment rights of a group of Navy SEALs who object to the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.
In ordering a preliminary injunction barring the Navy from disciplining or discharging the SEALs, Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the Navy’s review of religious exceptions was a sham. “By all accounts, it is theater,” he wrote. “The Navy has not granted a religious exemption to any vaccine in recent memory. It merely rubber stamps each denial.”
“We are aware, of course, of the injunction, and we’re reviewing it and in discussions with the Department of Justice as to what options might be available to us going forward,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who said he could not comment further about a possible appeal of the judge’s ruling because the matter remains under litigation.
