Jackson v. Noem

In September 2022, over 1,200 U.S. Coast Guard service members, led by Lieutenant Junior Grade Alaric Stone, Non-Commissioned Officer Eric Jackson, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Michael Marcenelle, filed a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas. Represented by Thomas More Society, they challenged the Coast Guard’s blanket denial of religious exemptions to the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which they opposed due to the vaccines’ ties to aborted fetal cell lines. Despite their exemplary service—Stone as the 2020 Coast Guard Academy top graduate, Jackson with 18 years of decorated service, and Marcenelle earning a Coast Guard Achievement Medal—the plaintiffs faced reprimands, denied promotions, and imminent discharge for their sincere beliefs. The lawsuit argued these denials violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment, and the Administrative Procedure Act, as the Coast Guard failed to provide individualized consideration and allowed secular exemptions while punishing religious ones.

The case gained traction as it exposed contradictions: the Coast Guard admitted personnel shortages yet threatened to purge dedicated members over an “unconstitutional” mandate, ignoring CDC guidelines that ceased distinguishing by vaccination status. After the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act led to the mandate’s rescission, the district court dismissed the case as moot. However, in March 2025, the Fifth Circuit reversed this in Stone v. Fagan, finding ongoing reputational harms and systemic flaws in accommodation processes. Now remanded, the case continues to seek justice for these service members, whose loyalty to faith and country remains at odds with military policy.