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Network for Public Health Law
Preventing and Treating Communicable Conditions

Ryan Klaassen, et al. v. Trustees of Indiana University

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Overview

Ryan Klaassen, et al. v. Trustees of Indiana University (U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, August 2, 2021): A three-judge panel denied Indiana University students’ request to block a school policy requiring all students, faculty, and staff to receive COVID-19 vaccinations prior to returning to school unless exempt for religious or medical reasons. The policy requires exempt persons to wear masks and be tested twice weekly. Students claimed the policy violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1905 decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, upholding a state’s authority to enforce a smallpox vaccine mandate, the 7th Circuit upheld the University’s policy. The court reasoned that this case was even easier than Jacobson because in that matter there were no exemptions and the vaccination requirement extended to the entire adult population. Here, students could seek an exemption or withdraw from the University. Read the full decision here.

View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – September 15, 2021.

View all cases under “Preventing and Treating Communicable Conditions.”