First Liberty Institute widens SEALs vaccine religious exemption suit to include all Navy personnel

First Liberty Institute on Monday amended its lawsuit on behalf of dozens of Navy SEALs to seek a class action that includes all Navy personnel who have requested a religious accommodation from the military service's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.   

Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction, stopping the Defense Department from punishing SEAL and Naval Special Warfare personnel who have religious objections to the agency's mandate.   

If approved, the class action will protect every U.S. Navy service member who requested a religious accommodation from the vaccine mandate, the group said. 

"The lawsuit seeks to protect as many service members as possible from further punishment," said Mike Berry, general counsel for the nonprofit Christian conservative legal group. "We have to put a stop to this before any more harm is done to our national security."