U.S. Supreme Court wont hear COVID vaccine case filed by N.J. nurses – NJ.com

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal filed by four New Jersey nurses over the states COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers.

Even though the mandate has since been rescinded, a 2022 lawsuit brought by four nurses from Hunterdon Medical Center was still winding its way through the court system. The nurses had challenged the constitutionality of three of Gov. Phil Murphys executive orders requiring health care workers in New Jersey be immunized.

But the Supreme Court announced Monday that it wouldnt hear the appeal, allowing a lower courts ruling to stand.

The lawsuit was filed by Katie Sczesny, Jamie Rumfield, Debra Hagen and Mariette Vitti, all nurses from the Flemington hospital, who claimed the mandate violated their constitutional rights.

The executive orders signed last year (and lifted earlier this year) were at the center of the case. They required those working in health care and high-risk congregate settings to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, including a first booster shot. Workers also had to show proof of vaccination.

The nurses filed an injunction aiming to block the hospital from enforcing the mandate, but that was ultimately denied by a U.S. District Court judge in June 2022 because the nurses failed to demonstrate the policy violated their constitutional rights, according to a report by the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.

By the time the case reached the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the matter was ruled moot because the mandate had already been lifted.

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com.

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U.S. Supreme Court wont hear COVID vaccine case filed by N.J. nurses - NJ.com