The U.S. Supreme Court today reversed a lower court decision against a group of Amish parents and school leaders who challenged the state of New York's vaccine mandates for schools, ruling that the appeals court must reconsider the case.

Today's ruling is a win for health and religious freedom advocates — one that could have implications for other states that don't allow religious exemptions from school vaccine mandates, attorneys said.

Attorney Sujata Gibson told The Defender today's Supreme Court decision is "checkmate" for states that refuse to accept religious exemptions. "It means we're almost certainly getting the religious exemption back, not only in New York, but across the country," Gibson said.

Today's decision stems from a lawsuit filed on June 2, 2023, against the New York State Department of Health and New York State Education Department, alleging they violated the U.S. Constitution by preventing the plaintiffs from exercising their religion.

Attorney Aaron Siri filed the suit on June 2, 2023, seeking injunctive relief.

On July 31, lawyers, including Siri, asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, Miller v. McDonald, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit dismissed the suit in March.

Not only did the Supreme Court today announce that it would hear the case — which is rare, Gibson said — but it handed down its decision on the spot via a "summary disposition" in which it vacated the 2nd Circuit's judgment.

"The case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for further consideration in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor," the summary disposition stated.

"This is huge," Gibson said, because Mahmoud v. Taylor — a Supreme Court decision released in June — negated the 2nd Circuit's legal arguments for denying the Miller plaintiffs the right to a religious exemption.

"All of the reasons, basically, that the 2nd Circuit cited to say they weren't giving relief were overturned in Mahmud v. Taylor," Gibson explained.

"I don't see any way that the 2nd Circuit could uphold its dismissal," in light of the Supreme Court's instructions, she said. "By vacating the dismissal, the Supreme Court signaled that Mahmoud applies to vaccine cases. Mahmoud provides incredibly broad protection to parental religious rights infringed by school policies."

The 2nd Circuit will likely have to issue a decision that restores religious exemptions in New York, Gibson said.