Workplace Vaccine Mandates Boosted by Hospital Suit’s Dismissal

A Texas federal judge dealt a blow to workers aiming to knock down Covid-19 vaccine mandates in court with a blistering opinion that tossed out a lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital.

U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes’ June 12 ruling—the first to weigh in on whether emergency federal approval affects employers’ ability to mandate vaccinations—will likely give other courts more confidence to reject similar lawsuits against workplace requirements, legal observers said.

The Houston Methodist lawsuit is one of a handful of court challenges to employer inoculation mandates that claim the vaccines can’t be mandatory because the U.S. Food and ...