Connecticut Judge Dismisses Final Claim Against School Vaccine Law Without Religious Exemptions, Closing a Four-Year Case

4,000 Brigham and Women’s Nurses Postpone Wednesday Strike to Vote on Hospital’s Best and Final Contract OfferBrigham and Women’s nurses postponed the Oct. 14 strike to vote on a final offer. See the pay, insurance, and staffing terms, and what patients face. Parents Should Check Amazon Bath Seats and Dressers, Giant Bike Lock Keys, and Avengers Medals in New RecallsNew CPSC recalls cover Amazon baby bath seats and dressers, Giant LED bike lock keys, and Avengers medals. See what you own and how to get refunds. Chicago Marathon’s Record Field of More Than 55,000 Faces a Yellow-Flag Day with Highs Near 71 DegreesThe Chicago Marathon starts under a yellow flag with a forecast high near 71, above the 65-degree normal. Heat illness signs and when to stop. Records Detail Immediate Jeopardy Citation After Charlotte Nursing Home Resident in Wheelchair Was Fatally Struck in 2023Records show inspectors cited a Charlotte nursing home at the immediate jeopardy level after a resident in a wheelchair was fatally struck on a busy road. Mental Health The Brain’s So-Called Christmas Spirit Network Lit Up in 10 Holiday Lovers, but Red Pictures Might Explain ItAn fMRI study found five brain regions responded more to Christmas images in people who celebrate, but the authors admitted red may be to blame. Frequent Mental Distress in Adults 18 to 29 Climbed From 12.7% to 21.3% Since 2012 Despite Recent DeclinesCDC data show 1 in 5 adults 18 to 29 report frequent mental distress, up from 2012 but down two years straight. Where to find help today. A Strong Smell Could Set Off His Sneezing Fits, but His Muscles Told a Stranger StoryStrong smells set off a teacher’s sneeze-like fits for nine years. Muscle recordings showed rapid jerks unlike a textbook sneeze reflex. Louisiana Finds New Synthetic Opioid Cychlorphine in at Least Two Deaths, Warns Extra Naloxone Doses May Be NeededLouisiana found cychlorphine in at least two overdose deaths since December 2025. See where the opioid has spread and why naloxone may need repeating. Innovation AI Chatbots Failed to Urge Emergency Care in About 41% of Vietnamese Scenarios Versus 15% in EnglishA simulated test presented at ACG 2026 found that AI chatbots missed urgent GI warnings far more often in Vietnamese. What families should know. AI Tool Helped Neurology Residents Tell Epilepsy From Functional Seizures Correctly Up to 89% of the TimeA University of Minnesota AI tool reads clinical notes to help doctors tell epilepsy from functional seizures. What it found and why it isn’t ready. A Medical Paper Called a 37-Year-Old Study Recent, and Nearly 1 in 5 Recent Citations Were at Least a Decade OldA BMJ analysis of 1,000 papers found 17.7% of references labeled recent were at least 10 years old, and some dated back as far as 37 years. No Measles, Mumps or Chickenpox Cases Followed Accidental Live Vaccines in 220 IBD Patients on Immune-Modifying DrugsNo measles, mumps, or chickenpox cases followed accidental live vaccine administration in 220 IBD patients on immunosuppressive drugs. Why live shots are still avoided. Healthy Living Isaias Outages Left Gulf Coast Fridges Warm for Days: Which Groceries to Toss and Which to KeepAfter Isaias, Gulf Coast families face costly fridge decisions. See which foods USDA charts say to toss, which can stay, and where help may exist. Only 40% of Americans Have Strong Confidence in Hospitals and Clinics While 52% Trust Science a LotNew Wellcome data show Americans trust science more than most nations but doubt hospitals. What patients say drives the gap and what can help. San Francisco Expands Doxy-PEP to Women and Others as Officials Report 24% Drop in Syphilis CasesSan Francisco now offers the after-sex antibiotic doxy-PEP to more people as syphilis and chlamydia rates fall. What it is, who qualifies, and the risks. Queens Pharmacy Owner Arrested Trying to Board One-Way Toronto Flight in Alleged $31 Million HIV Medicaid FraudA Jackson Heights pharmacy owner faces fraud charges over HIV drug kickbacks and buybacks. What patients and taxpayers need to know about the case. Covid – 19 FDA Proposes Requiring Companies to Report Food Additives That Now Reach Grocery Shelves Without Federal ReviewFDA has released its proposed GRAS rule requiring companies to notify the agency about food additives. Here is what the proposal does and does not do. Federal Regulators Warn Some Hair Dryer Brushes Lack the Part That Stops ElectrocutionCPSC warns hair dryer brushes sold on Walmart.com and TikTok Shop lack immersion protection. The seller has not agreed to a recall or refund. A Recalled Teething Toy Broke the Pattern Parents Were Told to Look ForA newly recalled pull-string teething toy has a different model number and design from earlier recalls, and one choking incident has been reported. Trying to Lower Blood Sugar, Cholesterol or Blood Pressure? Different Workouts Suited Different MarkersA pooled analysis of 53 trials found that different exercise types helped different metabolic markers. Most of the evidence was low certainty. VIKTOR BARTENEV | AFP via Getty Images) Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pocket Superior Court judge in Stamford on Monday dismissed the final remaining claim in a lawsuit challenging Connecticut’s law that ended religious exemptions from school vaccine requirements, CT Mirror reported.

The ruling in Spillane v. Lamont closes the case after more than four years and leaves the state’s school vaccine rules in place.

Attorney General William Tong said the decision confirmed that Connecticut’s school vaccine requirements are “lifesaving and lawful.”

For parents, the practical effect is continuity. Connecticut requires children to receive certain vaccines before enrolling in school, and the 2021 law that ended the religious exemption remains in force.

The lawsuit was filed in 2022 by two mothers from Orange and Greenwich. They argued that eliminating religious exemptions violated the state and federal constitutions and Connecticut’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA.

In 2024, the Connecticut Supreme Court dismissed five of the six claims but sent the RFRA claim back to Superior Court for further review. The judge’s dismissal order resolved that last claim.

Connecticut is one of just five states without a religious exemption for school vaccine requirements, according to a September 2026 analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Connecticut lawmakers voted to end religious exemptions in 2021. This spring, the legislature passed a measure clarifying that repeal and creating the first-ever carve-out from the state’s RFRA for school vaccine requirements. Democratic lawmakers led the effort and placed the measure inside a broader vaccine bill.

Before the vote, House Speaker Matt Ritter said the attorney general’s office had told him there was a chance the state could lose the case under RFRA as written. Tong’s motion to dismiss, filed about a month after the new law passed, relied on that measure.

The plaintiffs objected. “Governor Lamont and legislators changed the rules in the middle of the game,” said Lindy Urso, counsel for the plaintiffs. “There’s now a vaccine exemption to the First Amendment in Connecticut.”

Republican lawmakers argued during the spring debate that the carve-out eroded religious freedom. State Sen. Saud Anwar, co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, said the dismissal would help protect families from outbreaks of preventable diseases.

“Amid rapidly changing federal vaccine standards casting confusion and doubt on the effective, life-saving tool that has helped reduce disease in our communities for decades, it is reassuring to know Connecticut’s standards will remain in place, keeping our children and communities better protected,” Anwar said in a statement.

Medical exemptions remain available when a licensed clinician certifies that a vaccine is not medically advisable for a child. Some students who already held religious exemptions in kindergarten through 12th grade when the 2021 law took effect were allowed to keep them, while younger children entering school could no longer claim one.

Parents unsure of their child’s status can contact the school nurse or district health office. Families who need vaccines can check with their pediatrician, a local health department, or a community health center. Children who are uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid may qualify for free vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children program.

The ruling comes as exemptions rise nationally. Exemptions from one or more vaccines among U.S. kindergartners reached 4.2% in the 2025-26 school year, up from 3.6% the year before, according to the CDC. As of Aug. 13, the CDC had confirmed 2,566 measles cases and 38 outbreaks in 2026.

Measles spreads easily in schools and can be dangerous for infants too young to be vaccinated and for people with weakened immune systems. Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that spreads from the face downward. Families who suspect measles should call a clinic before arriving so staff can prevent exposure to others.

The broader legal fight is not over. The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied an emergency request from a New York mother seeking a religious exemption for her kindergartner, though Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted it, CIDRAP reported.

A separate case brought by Amish parents in New York, Miller v. McDonald, could return to the high court, and more than half a dozen related petitions have been filed since May. One legal scholar told CIDRAP the Court may wait until after it decides a separate religious liberty case scheduled for argument Nov. 3.

“It would not surprise me to see this Court strip states of its denials of religious exemptions given repeated, annual requests in manifold other cases seeking the Court’s decision on this question,” said James G. Hodge Jr., director of Arizona State University’s Center for Public Health Law and Policy.

A future Supreme Court ruling could affect Connecticut and the other states without religious exemptions. For now, Connecticut’s requirements stand, and MedicalDaily will track any federal decisions that could change them.

What did the Connecticut court decide? A Stamford Superior Court judge dismissed the final claim in Spillane v. Lamont, a challenge to the state’s 2021 law ending religious exemptions for school vaccines.

Can Connecticut students still get religious exemptions? Not new ones. Some K-12 students who held religious exemptions when the 2021 law took effect were allowed to keep them.

Are medical exemptions still allowed? Yes, when a licensed clinician certifies that a vaccine is not medically advisable.

How many states lack religious exemptions? Five, including Connecticut, according to a September 2026 analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.