*WEBINAR OPTION* - Jeff Penley, J.D. - "The Legality of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplace

In addition to the widespread health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus has also raised significant legal issues, including whether employers can mandate employee vaccination as a requirement for employment. Major companies like Boeing, Citigroup, Deloitte, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Walmart now require their employees to be vaccinated, and in September 2021, President Joseph Biden announced sweeping new vaccine mandates that will affect tens of millions of Americans, ordering all businesses with more than 100 employees to require their workers to be inoculated or face weekly testing. State governments are “pushing back.” Currently, governors in 12 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have signed legislation restricting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in their states. Another “red versus blue” political battle is on, perhaps only to be resolved by a United States Supreme Court decision on the issue.

• Understand the relationship between the “employment-at-will” doctrine and employer-established COVID-19 vaccine mandates

• Understand various corporate policies regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates

• Explain the import of President Biden’s executive order regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates

• Explain the nature and extent of state laws restricting vaccine mandates

• Assess whether the US Supreme Court will address the issue, and if so, what the likely outcome will be