Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and all other military officials are barred from taking punitive action against two service members seeking religious exemptions to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a federal judge ruled Feb. 2. The Marine Corps. lieutenant colonel and Navy Command officer appear to have been “wrongfully denied a religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccination,” U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, a George H. W. Bush nominee, wrote in a 10-page ruling. The lieutenant colonel was told she would be disciplined starting Feb. 2 if she did not get one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to court documents. The Navy officer, meanwhile, was told he would be removed from command of his ship on Feb. 3 if he did not start a COVID-19 vaccination series. Both saw their religious exemption applications denied and appeals to the denials rejected. Top military officials determined that the commander’s religious beliefs are sincere and …
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