South Bend, Indiana – Tomorrow, July 13, 2021, eight Indiana University (IU) students represented by The Bopp Law Firm will appear in federal court to challenge IU's Vaccination Mandate.

In May this year, IU announced it will be requiring all students, faculty, and staff to receive COVID vaccinations before they can return to IU for the fall semester with stringent and limited exemptions to the Mandate for those with religious or medical exemptions. Even if a student is granted an exemption they are still subject to rigorous extra-requirements, regardless of why they received an exemption. In June, The Bopp Law Firm, on behalf of IU students, filed a lawsuit against IU to preserve students' rights to bodily autonomy, due process, an education free from unnecessary restrictions, and the right to consent to medical treatment.

Tomorrow those students will be in court, represented by James Bopp, Jr., asking a federal judge to put the Mandate on hold until the end of the lawsuit.

“Tomorrow's arguments are critical to defending our students' right to education,” states James Bopp, Jr., lead counsel in the lawsuit. “Challenging this unconstitutional mandate is necessary to guarantee that IU students receive the fair due process they're owed by a public university. A person's right to an education cannot be conditioned on the student waiving their rights to bodily integrity and consent to medical treatment like IU has. IU is claiming that the COVID pandemic is requiring students to be forced to be vaccinated. Students however are at an extremely low risk of adverse reaction to a COVID infection. The vaccines they are required to take can endanger their health and life.”

“Furthermore,” said Bopp, “ we are toward the end of the pandemic when everyone else is lifting restrictions. Inexplicably, IU has decided to go the opposite direction and impose such a severe requirement. Neither the CDC nor the FDA recommend vaccination mandates. No state or local government in the United States is mandating vaccines. IU's requirement is unreasonable, even irrational, and way out of the main stream.”

A ruling by the court is expected within two weeks.