Federal judge grants COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption to thousands of service members https://t.co/SSobJl3Z0P

— Enquirer (@Enquirer) July 29, 2022

A federal judge in Cincinnati has expanded a temporary exemption to a Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine mandate to cover thousands of service members in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, according to court documents.

District Court Judge Matthew McFarland, who was appointed to the court by former President Donald Trump in 2018, granted the class-wide preliminary injunction on Wednesday.

It applies to all active-duty, active reserve, reserve, national guard, inductees and appointees of the Air Force and Space Force who are seeking a religious exemption to the vaccine mandate, the documents state.

The order stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in February by 18 active-duty and reservist personnel stationed across the country, including at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.