Doe v. Board of Regents of the University of Colorado

Doe v. Board of Regents of the University of Colorado

What Happened

A worker at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus sought a religious exemption from the employer's COVID-19 vaccination requirement. When the university denied the exemption, the worker was suspended without pay. She then asked the court to temporarily restore her pay status while the case proceeded.

What the Court Decided

The court rejected the worker's request. The judge ruled against temporarily restoring her unpaid suspension status during the ongoing lawsuit about whether her religious exemption should have been granted.

Why This Matters for Workers

This case illustrates that courts may not always pause an employer's disciplinary actions during a legal dispute, even when religious accommodation is at stake. Workers challenging vaccination requirements or other policies on religious grounds should understand that requesting court intervention to maintain their pay status is difficult—judges require strong evidence that they will likely win their case before making such orders. The outcome suggests workers need robust legal arguments ready from the start.