Washington, D.C. — Today, on behalf of 16 of the nation’s leading associations representing medical professionals and patients and the public health across disciplines, Democracy Forward filed two amicus briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States urging the Court to issue a stay pending appeal of the injunctions entered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) interim final rule requiring healthcare worker vaccinations. 

The brief was filed on behalf of the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, Council of Medical Specialty Societies, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, American Geriatrics Society, American Psychiatric Association, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Society of Hematology, American Thoracic Society, Society of General Internal Medicine, Society of Interventional Radiology and American Lung Association.

As of December 21, 2021, there have been more than fifty million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. The brief explains that COVID-19  poses a grave danger to the health of medical facility patients and that failing to implement CMS’ vaccine requirements would “severely and irreparably harm patients and undermine the public interest.” 

In response to today’s filings, Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman issued the following statement:

“As the holiday season approaches and our nation faces skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, it is imperative that, when the Supreme Court evaluates the effect of an injunction on the public interest, its decision is informed by the experience of medical and patient professionals. Today, those professionals once again made their voices clear: immediate, widespread vaccination against COVID-19 is the surest way to end this costly pandemic. We’re honored to be the legal representative to the nation’s leading medical and patient organizations in making the case for evidence-based policies that protect the health and safety of patients and communities across the nation.”

Follow our work to protect the health of our nation during the pandemic here.

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Democracy Forward is a nonprofit legal organization founded in 2017 that litigates cases involving government action on behalf of organizations, individuals, and municipalities. The organization has taken 650 legal actions and achieved victories supporting democracy and improving the lives and wellbeing of people and communities. Democracy Forward Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  

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Emily Singer
Democracy Forward
(973) 865-0063
esinger@democracyforward.org