MADISON, WI – Wisconsin Family Action, along with leaders and representatives from 29 other states, is part of a coalition of state family policy council organizations from across the country opposing the illegal Biden employee vaccine mandate by filing a legal amicus (friend of the court) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of N.F.I.B. v. D.O.L, U.S., No. 21A244. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in court on this fast-tracked case Friday, January 7.
Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, issued the following statement:
“Wisconsin Family Action is honored to join 30 other state family policy organizations and leaders in filing a brief that highlights the threat to religious freedom, a critically important and foundational freedom, that is at risk with such a dangerous and rushed rule that sidesteps Congress and cuts out the American people. Today, more than ever, it is necessary that we stand up to and fight back when our religious freedom, as well as other freedoms, are attacked.”
The brief explains “unelected and unaccountable administrative agencies” tend to be hostile to religious freedom by treating it as “an afterthought, an inconvenience that stands in the way of their desired policy.” Religious liberty is “a vital and enduring thread in the nation’s fabric.” Further, OSHA’s rulemaking not only circumvents the normal process for lawmaking through Congress but also through state legislatures—and the states have a much better track record for safeguarding religious liberty.
For religious employers, in particular, the brief states that OSHA’s rule amounts to “indirect coercion [that] contradicts fundamental religious autonomy principles.”
The case, brought by a union of states and business industry groups, challenges the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) nationwide vaccine-or-testing rule for U.S. businesses with 100 or more employees.
In addition to Wisconsin Family Action, 30 family policy organizations (representing entities from 29 other states and a national organization) signed on to the legal brief as amici curiae, including California Family Council, Family Institute of Connecticut, Delaware Family Policy Council, Florida Family Policy Council, Frontline Policy Council (Georgia), Idaho Family Policy Center, Indiana Family Institute, The Family Leader (Iowa), Kansas Family Voice, The Family Foundation (Kentucky), Louisiana Family Forum, Christian Civic League of Maine, Massachusetts Family Institute, Michigan Family Forum, Minnesota Family Council, Montana Family Foundation, Nebraska Family Alliance, Cornerstone Policy Research of New Hampshire, Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey, Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, North Carolina Family Policy Council, North Dakota Family Alliance, Center for Christian Virtue (Ohio), Pennsylvania Family Council, Palmetto Family Council (South Carolina),Texas Values, The Family Foundation (Virginia), Family Policy Institute of Washington, and Family Policy Alliance.
The legal amicus brief filed at the U. S. Supreme Court can be found here.