A federal judge on Oct. 15 temporarily blocked a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory’s contracted operator in Tennessee from terminating or placing on unpaid leave its workers who are exempted from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Days after six employees filed a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee–Battelle (UT–Battelle), District Judge Charles Atchley in Knoxville issued a temporary restraining order limiting the ability of the managing contractor for Oak Ridge National Laboratory to place employees on indefinite unpaid leave or to fire them after they receive a religious or medical exemption to taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
