Court Sides With Unvaccinated Michigan Athletes in Mandate Case

A health care worker holds a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2021. Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Sixteen unvaccinated athletes won another round in their legal battle to play sports, despite Western Michigan University’s mandate that all of its inter-collegiate athletes get the COVID-19 vaccination shot.

In a unanimous published decision issued Oct. 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio, held that the university violated the athletes’ First Amendment rights.