Federal Court Delivers Devastating Ruling On Oklahoma Governor’s Attempt to Block Military Vaccine Mandate
Michael Cantrell
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A federal judge in the state of Oklahoma has rejected a motion that was put forward by the state to try and block a coronavirus vaccine mandate for members of the state’s National Guard.
Because these folks putting their lives on the line to serve and protect our country is simply not enough of a risk, so we need to force them to take a vaccine against their will without knowing the possible side effects they could experience years down the road.
Gov. Kevin Stitt challenged the mandate, asserting the Oklahoma guard is under his control and that the federal vaccine mandate for military members does not apply to those from the state. However, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Tuesday disagreed with Stitt’s claim the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate overstepped constitutional authority.
“Adding a tenth … vaccine to the list of nine that all service members are already required to take would hardly amount to ‘an enormous and transformative expansion [of the] regulatory authority’ the Secretary of Defense already possesses,” Judge Stephen P. Friot, who was appointed to the bench by former President George W. Bush, stated in his ruling.
“Our office has reviewed the judge’s order,” Carly Atchison, communications director for the governor, said to the Washington Examiner. “We don’t have further comment.”
The Oklahoma Office of Attorney General requested a federal court to grant a temporary restraining order against the mandate, asking for a preliminary injunction followed by a permanent injunction to prevent enforcement of the vaccine mandate.
The state’s lawsuit also sought to block President Joe Biden’s administration from withholding federal funding from the state’s National Guard and its members.
“Stitt said in November he would appoint Army Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino to serve as the state’s adjunct general and National Guard commander, with Mancino telling guardsmen in December they would not be forced to comply with the vaccine mandate. The state Senate has yet to confirm Mancino for the position,” the report added.
As of now, six other GOP governors have also raised issues with the military vaccine mandate. However, Stitt is the only one who has filed a lawsuit.
Again, it’s messed up to have anyone be forced to get vaccinated against their will. It’s even worse when it’s the members of the military who already have a high risk profession.
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