A Spokane firefighter is among nearly 100 health care workers, law enforcement and corrections officers, fire personnel, and others suing Washington Gov. Jay Inslee over his get-vaccinated-or-be-fired mandate.
The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 10 in Walla Walla County Superior Court.
Firefighter Nicholas Holmes is from Whitman County. He’s identified as one of the main plaintiffs in the William Cleary, Sherra Rena Cleary, Nicholas Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Steven Collins v. Jay Inslee lawsuit.
In addition to firefighters, teachers, state ferry workers and correction employees, more than 50 of the plaintiffs are Washington State Patrol troopers.
The lawsuit is one of at least two filed in courts in eastern Washington.
In the other, a prison guard at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, filed suit in Franklin County Superior Court against Inslee and state Department of Corrections Secretary Cheryl Strange.
Both lawsuits seek relief from the gubernatorial proclamation requiring all state employees to be “fully vaccinated” by Oct. 18th. The lawsuits allege Inslee’s edict violates the separation of powers outlined in the U.S. and state constitutions, as well as several individual rights.
The proclamation applies to more than just state agency employees. It also applies to public school workers and coaches, preschool employees and university staff, including volunteers, like people in 4-H programs.
Citing seven causes of action, the lawsuit filed in Walla Walla County asks for the court to find the gubernatorial mandate unconstitutional and therefore end any provisions of the order. (Whitman County Gazette)
