MARYLAND, USA — CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated a University of Baltimore Law School employee was involved in the lawsuit.
Two Towson University students and a University of Maryland Law School employee are suing the University System of Maryland (USM) over its vaccine mandate.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Sept. 16. The lawsuit names a 21-year-old Towson University senior, a 20-year-old Towson sophomore and an employee at the University of Maryland School of Law as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, the Towson senior claims he was placed on university probation until he provides proof of vaccination.
Under the USM mandate, exceptions are made for religious and medical reasons.
Both the Towson sophomore and the University of Maryland Law School employee say they have religious exemptions but say in the lawsuit that they have been subjected to additional safety measures.
The University System of Maryland is made up of 12 campuses across the state of Maryland. Jay. A. Perman is the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland. Perman issued a mandate for students and staff returning to campus in the fall back in April 2021.
Perman said at the time, "I’m convinced that the risk of doing too little to contain COVID on campus this fall is far greater than the risk of doing too much."
The suit asks the court to stop the University System of Maryland from punishing those students and staff members who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
The suit claims the mandate "unfairly [targets] individuals who exercise their liberty interest in refusing medical treatment who seek to invoke their right to informed consent, privacy and religious freedom."
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