ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed this week to fight a lawsuit launched by a group of Christian health care practitioners who argue that New York’s vaccine mandate for health care workers is unconstitutional because it lacks a religious exemption. A federal judge temporarily blocked the state Tuesday from enforcing part of the mandate. It was set to take effect Sept. 27. Thomas More Society senior counsel Stephen Crampton, who is representing the group, said he’s confident that the courts will find that New York can’t eliminate the individual right to religious accommodation. The state doesn’t offer religious exemptions for vaccination requirements for schoolchildren and health care workers.
Photo: New York Governor Kathy Hochul attends the Prabal Gurung spring/summer 2022 fashion show at 20 Battery Place during New York Fashion Week on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
