Spillane v. Lamont

Summary

The court held that sovereign immunity required dismissal of the plaintiffs' constitutional challenges to the repeal of Connecticut's religious school-vaccination exemption because those claims failed as a matter of law. The court concluded that the challenged law is neutral, generally applicable, and rationally related to protecting public health, and that it does not violate the state constitutional right to education. The court nevertheless held that the plaintiffs' statutory religious-freedom claim could proceed because the statute waives sovereign immunity for free-exercise challenges to legislation. The opinion contains no separate writings.