Justices Deny Review of Air Force Disputes Over Covid-19 Shots

The US Supreme Court declined to determine whether Air Force service members and reservists can obtain back pay in their religious challenges to the Defense Department’s now-revoked Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

The justices Monday rejected two petitions seeking judicial relief under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. A federal appeals court deemed both cases moot after the Air Force’s mandate was repealed in 2022.

RFRA prohibits the federal government from burdening a person’s free exercise of religion, even if the burden arises from a neutral, generally applicable law.

The petitions gave the justices an opportunity to clarify whether the religious law permits ...