For media inquiries for Senior Airman Crocker please contact Ryan Roberts (504) 481-9931 or ryan@pelicaninstitute.org

Shreveport, LA – The Pelican Center for Justice announced the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of Senior Airman Faith Crocker against the Department of Defense (DoD) for their denial of her religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine.

On August 24, 2021, the DoD issued a memorandum requiring all active duty and reserve members of the armed services to get the COVID-19 vaccine unless they have an exemption. To this day, the DoD has denied 99.6 percent of religious accommodation requests. Senior Airman Crocker’s request was denied on February 25, 2022.

“Airman Crocker is a patriotic and faithful member of our armed forces who swore an oath to defend her country and the Constitution. The government is now forcing her to pick between her sincerely held religious beliefs or her continued service in the United States Air Force. This unjust government overreach is both unfair and unconstitutional and we now ask the court to vindicate her rights.” said James Baehr, Special Counsel at the Pelican Center for Justice.

Senior Airman Crocker is the daughter of a Baptist minister who, after careful consideration, decided to decline the COVID-19 vaccine due to her deeply held religious beliefs. A valued member of her team with nothing negative on her military record, the military has warned Senior Airman Crocker that they will involuntarily discharge her if she refuses to take the vaccine. This outcome would be devastating, as Crocker would no longer qualify for tuition assistance or the GI Bill that she is using for her education.

“I should be able to serve both my faith and my country. The rejection of my religious accommodation request has put me in a situation where I must give up my religious freedom to serve the country that I love,” said Senior Airman Faith Crocker.

Crocker v. Austin was filed a few hours ago in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. For more information you can visit: https://pelicanpolicy.org/louisiana-service-member-sues-biden-administration-to-challenge-separations-under-military-covid-vaccine-mandate/

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