This week, the Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Perry v. Dordt University, (IA Sup. Ct., argued 9/15/2026). (Video of full oral arguments.) In the case, nursing student Andrew Perry sued Dordt University under the Iowa Civil Rights Act for refusing to grant him a religious exemption from the requirement that he receive the Covid vaccine in order to participate in required clinical rotations. The trial court held that Perry failed to show that he had a sincere religious belief opposing the vaccine. Sioux County Radio reporting on the oral arguments said in part:
... [A]ttorneys for Andrew Perry and the Sioux Center university disagreed over how closely courts may examine religious sincerity, the role of family pressure in Perry’s vaccination objection, and Dordt’s process for considering religious exemptions.
Justices questioned both sides, pressing Perry’s attorney about conflicting evidence and Dordt’s attorney about whether the university’s exemption criteria risked religious discrimination.
Links to appellate briefs in the case are available here.
