Does v. University of Colorado

In a victory for religious liberty, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled in favor of 17 plaintiffs—physicians, students, and staff at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus—in Jane Does & John Does v. University of Colorado on May 7, 2024. Represented by Thomas More Society, the plaintiffs challenged the university’s 2021 mandatory immunization policy, which restricted religious accommodations and penalized those with sincerely held beliefs, violating their First Amendment rights.

The policy initially limited exemptions to faiths opposing all immunizations, resulting infirings, unpaid leave, or forced remote work for employees like Dr. Jane Doe 1, a Catholic physician, and Jane Doe 11, a nurse practitioner. Students like John Doe 1, a Buddhist medical student, faced exclusion despite his sincerely held convictions about immunizations. A revised policy favored secular exemptions over religious ones, disproportionately affecting off-campus workers. The district court dismissed the case, but the Tenth Circuit reversed, ruling the policies unconstitutional for prioritizing secular interests over faith, demonstrating “religious animus.”

This decision reaffirms that public institutions cannot suppress religious freedom under the guise of policy neutrality. The plaintiffs’ stand, backed by Thomas More Society, sets a strong precedent protecting conscience rights, ensuring religious beliefs are honored in workplaces and schools.