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Virginia joins fight against DOD vaccine mandate

Attorney General Jason Miyares said, "Those who have filed religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine deserve to be heard and taken seriously."

NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares this week joined  21 other states' attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the religious liberty of 35 Navy SEALs seeking religious exemptions from the Defense Department's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In a statement, the Republican said: "The Biden Administration has continually disrespected boundaries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, undermining individual liberty and forcing Americans to obey dictates from unelected Washington bureaucrats. Navy SEALs are some of our best and brightest, willing to sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms. Those who have filed religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine deserve to be heard and taken seriously."

The SEALs' complaint is now part of a wider class action suit involving more than 4,200 military plaintiffs.

"Our mission is to defend religious liberty for everybody and that includes those still in the Navy and fighting to stay in the Navy, absolutely. And that's what our class action does," said Mike Berry, an attorney for First Liberty Institute, in an interview last week with 13News Now.

So far, according to the Navy's website, only 47 religious accommodations have been granted. The Navy has separated nearly 1,200 active-duty personnel and more than 300 reservists for vaccine refusal.

Seventeen Navy military members have died from COVID-19.

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