A federal judge in Georgia has temporarily blocked the Air Force from requiring an officer become fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to the Air Force Times, the unnamed officer had been denied a religious exemption because fetal cell lines were used during research on the vaccine.
On Tuesday, a federal district court granted a preliminary injunction, which allows her to remain unvaccinated without punishment.
The officer’s claim that the vaccine mandate violates the First Amendment and the broader Religious Freedom Restoration Act is likely to succeed in court, the judge ruled.
The officer has served in the Air Force for more than 25 years and works at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The order covers only the Air Force. The Pentagon last year required the vaccine for all members of the military, The Air Force began discharging airmen in December for refusing to get the shot.