Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) is being sued over the state’s vaccine mandate by Oregon State Police officers and firefighters.
A group of Oregon firefighters and police officers have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Kate Brown (D). A coalition of state police officers and firefighters is suing Oregon’s governor over a mandate requiring the coronavirus vaccine for state workers.
KOIN in Oregon was the first to report the complaint. According to a spokesperson for Brown, the governor is “responding to a public health crisis.”
The suit against Gov. Brown, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, asks a judge to declare her executive order unenforceable. The plaintiffs argued that the mandate violates Oregon statutes, would result in wrongful termination of workers, and violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, free exercise, and due process, Koin reported.
“This isn’t an issue about the vaccine, it’s the issue of being told if you don’t get it you’re gonna lose your profession,” said Portland-based lawyer, Dan Thenell.
“These are not callous public servants who don’t want to be told what to do and follow rules. They take an oath to uphold the law, they take an oath to uphold the Constitution of Oregon and the United States, and they think this order is a violation of those sources of law,” said Thenell. “They’re standing up for what they believe in.”
According to the plaintiffs, forcing workers to choose between their livelihoods and defending their constitutional rights is “unconscionable and wrong.”
