ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, December 9 2025
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO
media@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Washington D.C. — The Supreme Court has reversed the lower court’s decision that fined petitioners for living out their religious beliefs. The case returns to the lower court to reevaluate New York’s law under strengthened protections for religious believers, making clear that the government may not punish religious conviction while granting exemptions for secular purposes.
At the center of Miller v. McDonald are Amish families who have lived peacefully, faithfully, and separately from modern society for generations. New York eliminated its long-standing religious exemption to its school vaccination law and then openly mocked those who objected based on sincere religious convictions. Lawmakers referred to religious beliefs as “trash,” “fake,” and “heresy,” while Governor Kathy Hochul told a congregation that people with religious objections to vaccination “are not listening to God” and that their concerns are “not truth.”
Despite wiping out all religious exemptions, New York still allows secular medical exemptions and does not require teachers, staff, or other adults in the schools to be vaccinated. The result is a discriminatory law that targets children of faith while ignoring comparable secular risks. The Amish petitioners have already been hit with $118,000 in fines simply for obeying their conscience and honoring God.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to intervene and to restore the Free Exercise Clause to its rightful place at the heart of the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court’s action forces the lower court to reevaluate New York’s law under strengthened protections for religious believers, making clear that the government may not punish religious conviction while granting exemptions for secular purposes.
“Religious liberty is America’s first freedom because it safeguards every person’s right to honor God without fear of government coercion,” said Erin Mersino, Vice President and Chief of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation at Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The Supreme Court’s action is an important step toward stopping New York from penalizing the Amish community for their faith with crippling fines.”
This remand marks a pivotal moment in the national fight for religious liberty and has the potential to shape constitutional protections for generations to come. Advocates for Faith & Freedom will continue standing with the Amish families and every American who refuses to surrender their God-given freedoms to state power.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.