New York State Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman upheld a new state law eliminating religious exemptions to vaccine laws for school children, according to Newsday.
Ms. Hartman ruled the vaccine law does not violate citizens' religious freedom rights and that public health concerns outweigh opponents' Equal Protection and First Amendment claims. She also refused to issue an injunction stopping the law from taking effect before the academic year.
"We believe the repeal violates several constitutional rights," said Michael Sussman, an attorney representing the vaccination-law opponents. He said he will appeal the decision.
Opponents filed the lawsuit in response to a new law enacted in June that eliminated religious exemptions to New York's vaccine requirements. Lawmakers pushed to eliminate the requirements after the state had its largest measles outbreak in over two decades, with most cases occurring among Orthodox Jewish populations in New York City and Rockland County.