Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected an appeal by New York City workers challenging the city’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

Firefighters, teachers, officers, sanitation workers, and other workers were among those who lost their jobs when the city denied their request for a religious exemption from the COVID vaccine mandate. They requested that Sotomayor temporarily halt the city’s enforcement of the vaccine mandate. The group will challenge the city in a lower court.

Sotomayor refused their request without commenting and didn’t consult her colleagues when she made her decision. She is not required to.

John Busch, an attorney representing the workers, stated that “we’re disappointed Justice Sotomayor is willing allow NYC’s rampant religiosity to continue.”

The workers filed a legal complaint to the Supreme Court last Wednesday claiming that New York City had violated their right “freely exercising their faith” by forcing them to choose between their jobs and receiving the vaccine against “sincere religious beliefs”.

The workers were represented by lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom, a civil right law firm. They stated in their filing that their clients are “suffering the loss of First Amendment rights”, are facing deadlines for moving out of homes with past-due rents or in foreclosure, have health problems due to the loss of their city’s health insurance, and are forced to resort to food stamps and Medicaid to support their families.

Bursch said to Fox News Digital that the city officials had fired the city’s heroes for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccination. The city was able to relax its mandate for athletes, entertainers, and strippers.

The lawsuit was brought by Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist workers who claimed that the city’s “entirely discretory” criteria, which determines whether it approves vaccine mandate exemptions, is in violation of their religious beliefs.

The brief stated that the city had never justified why a stripper who is not vaccinated can spend hours near customers in indoor venues, while a city sanitation worker can pick up refuse outside with almost no person-to–person contact, unless he has received a vaccination that violates his religious convictions.

The case is currently being processed by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. This means that the workers could have to wait months for the court’s decision.