Qlarant v. Guthneck

Summary

The Court affirmed the District Court’s order directing the Montana Human Rights Commission to adopt the hearing officer’s dismissal of Guthneck’s discrimination claim. It held that the hearing officer had authority to decide whether federal law preempted Montana’s vaccination-status employment statute because the issue involved statutory interpretation and application of preemption principles, not a direct constitutional challenge. The Court further held that the federal contractor vaccination requirements expressly preempted the Montana statute as applied to Qlarant during the relevant period, so Guthneck’s claim was properly dismissed.