In 2005, a federal judge found that CA provided inadequate healthcare to its prison population. Because of the pandemic, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar ruled that all California prison workers must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or have a religious or medical exemption. He also required inmates who want in-person visits or who work outside prisons, including inmate firefighters to get vaccinated.
Friday evening, a federal appeals court granted a request for a stay of September’s lower court order pending an appeal. It also sped up the hearing process by setting a Dec. 13 deadline for opening briefs.
The vaccination mandate was supposed to have taken effect by Jan. 12 but the appellate court stay blocks enforcement until sometime in March, when the appeal hearing will be scheduled.
