Judge upholds COVID-19 vaccine mandate in victory for Indiana University

Indiana University students must comply with the school’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the fall semester after a federal judge refused on Monday to block the school’s inoculation requirement, one of the first rulings of its kind during the pandemic.

U.S. District Court Judge Damon Leichty in South Bend, Indiana, rejected the argument by eight students that the school violated their bodily autonomy and constitutional right to due process. “This university policy isn’t forced vaccination,” wrote the judge. “The students have options — taking the vaccine, applying for a religious exemption, applying for a medical exemption, applying for a medical deferral, taking a semester off, or attending another university.”