Private Sector Vaccine Mandate Blocked by United States Supreme Court

On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) ruled against the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private U.S. Companies leaving only one exception for health care workers. 

The Private Sector Vaccine Mandate was announced by the Biden Administration in November of 2021 and required U.S. companies with at least 100 employees to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested on a weekly basis starting January 4, 2022. The mandate was set to be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). 

The SCOTUS ruled that the Biden Administration cannot enforce a vaccine-or-test requirement for private entities. However, an exception was made for healthcare workers employed at federally funded healthcare facilities. The Court’s ruling allows for most health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested on a weekly basis. As a result, OSHA will continue to enforce the vaccine mandate for the small population of unvaccinated health care workers. 

Despite the ruling, the traditional rules of exemption continue to apply. Click here to learn more about the religious and disability exemptions that apply.