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Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor refused to block an order forcing teachers in New York to receive at least one dose of the Covid vaccine on Friday evening before returning to class on Monday.
Without comment, Sotomayor rejected an emergency request filed by teachers on Thursday. She acted alone, without sending the case back to full court or asking New York for a response.
Teachers said thousands of public school employees would be forced to quit their jobs because of the vaccination mandate, violating their basic right to practice a profession.
They also said the order was unfair as it did not apply to other city employees, including firefighters and police, who regularly deal with the public. Teachers, on the other hand, “maintain close inner contact with children, who are considerably less likely to contract Covid disease,” they said in their written pleadings filed with the Supreme Court.
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said in an MSNBC interview on Friday that 90% of education department employees had already received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 93% of teachers and 98% of principals.
“In the end, that mandate worked,” De Blasio said. “I urge all American mayors to do it now, to put in place these vaccination mandates before the cold weather when the going gets tough. Do it now or you’ll regret it later.”
In a statement, lawyer Lou Gelormino, who represents the teachers, expressed his disappointment.
“The voices of our teachers deserved to be heard. … These unconstitutional decrees will continue across the country until our courts decide to hear our argument that the government has gone too far. Our children are the ones who will suffer the most. “
The order, announced in August, required teachers, principals and support staff, including guards and cafeteria workers, to receive at least a first dose of Covid-19 vaccination from here Sept. 27.
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