A federal appeals court today ruled in favor of Mimi Weiss, a 20-year Kaiser Permanente employee who was fired after requesting a religious exemption from the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. 

Weiss, a fully remote worker, initially received approval for her exemption, but Kaiser later revoked it after questioning her about her faith and medical history. Kaiser then fired her after over two decades of service, and Weiss filed a federal lawsuit against the healthcare giant. 

In its unanimous opinion today, the court rejected Kaiser’s claim that Weiss had not adequately explained her religious objection.

Judge Danielle Forrest warned that demanding more explanation than the law requires “would permit an employer to delve into the religious practices of an employee in order to determine whether religion mandates the employee’s adherence.” 

The court also issued a 2-1 memorandum opinion ruling for Weiss on her state law privacy claims.