On April 5, the Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Norris v. Stanley, a case on the constitutionality of vaccine mandates.
The Liberty Justice Center filed this amicus brief on behalf of Mark McDonald, M.D., Jeff Barke, M.D., and Ram Duriseti, M.D., Ph.D. These medical professionals were plaintiffs in the recent cases McDonald v. Lawson and Høeg v. Newsom, which successfully challenged AB 2098—a California law that violated physicians’ First Amendment rights until its repeal in January.
The doctors’ brief points out that official views on scientific and medical issues have frequently changed, especially with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, and that there has been disagreement among experts on the proper measures to address COVID-19. The brief argues that this is all the more reason for courts to closely scrutinize vaccine mandates, which infringe on individuals’ right to bodily autonomy.
“History not only shows that medical ‘consensus’ can change drastically, but also that individuals have every reason to be wary of governments that would restrict liberty in the name of health or medicine,” said Reilly Stephens, Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center.
“The government should not get a blank check to violate individuals’ right to bodily autonomy by invoking health concerns. We urge the Supreme Court to hear the case and rule in favor of increased judicial scrutiny of such laws,” continued Stephens.
The Liberty Justice Center’s amicus brief in Norris v. Stanley is available here.