Judge throws out Maine lawsuit against COVID vaccine mandate

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a complaint from a group of workers who said they were unfairly discriminated against by Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care personnel. The plaintiffs sued Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and other Maine officials along with a group of health care providers in the state. They argued that the vaccine mandate violated their right to free exercise of religion because it did not provide an exemption for religious beliefs. Jon Levy, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, wrote that the vaccine mandate was rationally based. He dismissed the suit Thursday.