Indiana University was allowed by the Supreme Court to require that students be vaccinated for COVID-19.Students asked the court to stop the requirement. The request was denied by the lower courts.This case marks the Supreme Court's first legal battle for a COVID-19 mandate.Loading something is loading. Click Sign up to receive marketing emails and other offers from Insider.On Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a request from a group students to stop Indiana University's requirement that students receive vaccines.This decision permits the university to enforce its mandate to students that they be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to allow them to return to campus in the fall and take in-person classes.Eight students filed an emergency request for relief. They argued that they had the right to make medical decisions and that the risks of being vaccinated as young adults outweighed the benefits.Continue reading: Democrats must stand up against politically powerful unions that are standing between America and full vaccinationCircuit justice Amy Coney Barrett is the judge in this case and made the decision to deny the students' request. She did not consult other justices or take up the case. This suggests that there was no legal basis for the request. She didn't provide any explanation.This is the Supreme Court's first legal challenge to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.The mandate of Indiana University allows for medical and religious exemptions. Politico reported that seven students who filed the lawsuit had been granted or were eligible to receive an exemption.Barrett's decision was made after lower courts had already rejected the request. They cited a 1905 Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to require smallpox vaccinations, and noted that vaccinations are common in the US. Other vaccinations and health examinations are required for students to attend school, according to the courts.According to The Chronicle of Higher Education in the USA, over 700 colleges require at least one student or employee to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
