Florida Judge Hears Testimony On ‘Vaccine Passport’ Ban

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – A Leon County circuit justice could regularisation precocious adjacent week successful a situation to the constitutionality of a authorities instrumentality that bans alleged “vaccine passports” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge Layne Smith held a proceeding Thursday successful a suit filed by Bead Abode, Inc., a Sarasota hobby and trade store.

Smith gave attorneys until Wednesday to record further briefs and said helium would effort to contented a ruling by the extremity of adjacent week.

Bead Abode argues that the law, which the Legislature passed successful April, violates the First Amendment and is seeking an injunction to artifact it.

The law, a precedence of Gov. Ron DeSantis, seeks to forestall businesses from requiring customers to amusement impervious of vaccination against COVID-19.

Bead Abode has closed its doors since aboriginal successful the pandemic, though it sells products online and offers online classes.

Smith connected Thursday heard grounds from concern proprietor Kirsten Boyer and Mary Reich, a regular customer.

Reich, who said she has a bosom condition, said customers be classes astatine the concern and often beryllium “shoulder to shoulder.”

She said she wants Bead Abode to necessitate customers to amusement impervious of vaccination and would not be classes if she knew radical mightiness beryllium unvaccinated.

The authorities disputes that the vaccine-passport prohibition violates the First Amendment, contending that it regulates conduct, not speech.

In a abstracted case, a South Florida national justice successful August sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings successful a situation to the law.

The authorities has appealed that ruling, which applied lone to the cruise-ship operator, astatine the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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