Mississippi must join most other states in allowing religious exemptions from vaccinations that children are required to receive so they can attend school, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden handed down the decision Monday in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who say their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools. According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs are homeschooling their children, while others have family or work connections in Mississippi but live in other states that allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations.

Ozerden set a July 15 deadline for the Mississippi State Department of Health to allow religious exemptions. The state already allows people to apply for medical exemptions for a series of five vaccinations that are required for children to enroll in public or private school. The immunizations are against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; polio; hepatitis; measles, mumps and rubella; and chickenpox.

Mississippi does not require COVID-19 vaccinations.

The only states without religious or personal belief exemptions for school immunization requirements are California, Connecticut, Maine, Mississippi, New York and West Virginia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In response to questions from The Associated Press on Tuesday, health department spokesperson Liz Sharlot declined to say whether the department will appeal the judge’s ruling. She did not say whether the department has an estimate of how many people might seek religious exemptions from vaccinations.

‘The Mississippi State Department of Health continues to support strong immunization laws that protect our children,’ Sharlot said. ‘Beyond that, it is our long-standing policy that the Agency does not comment on pending litigation.’

The lawsuit, funded by the Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, argued that Mississippi’s lack of a religious exemption for childhood vaccinations violates the U.S. Constitution.

‘The State of Mississippi affords a secular exemption to those with medical reasons that prohibit vaccination, reflecting that it can accommodate students that are unvaccinated,’ the network said in a statement. ‘It has simply chosen to not accord an exemption when it is someone’s immortal soul that a parent believes would be at risk.’

One of the families who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit believe ‘God has created humans with functioning immune systems that were well designed to counteract threats,’ the lawsuit said, adding that they only seek out medication ‘when an intervention is clearly necessary.’

Mississippi once had a religious exemption for childhood vaccinations, but it was overturned in 1979 by a state court judge who ruled that vaccinated children have a constitutional right to be free from associating with their unvaccinated peers, the lawsuit said.

Over the last several years, Mississippi legislators have rejected proposals to allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations. Health officials have argued that allowing more exemptions could lead to the spread of preventable diseases.

Republican Texas Congressman Lance Gooden announced Tuesday his endorsement of former President Donald Trump in his effort to win back the White House in 2024 despite what he said was a ‘positive’ meeting with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

‘I met with Governor DeSantis, and while he has done commendable work in Florida, there is no doubt in my mind that President Trump is the only leader who can save America from the leftist onslaught we are currently facing,’ Gooden said in a press release.

‘President Trump is a tireless fighter, a champion of American jobs, a guardian of our economy, and a bulwark against the relentless invasion of our borders by illegal immigrants. He unyieldingly supported our military and veterans, and bravely stood up to the dangerous socialist agenda propagated by the radical left,’ he said. 

‘I wholeheartedly endorse President Donald J. Trump for the 2024 presidential election and vow to fight alongside him to reclaim our country from the leftist forces that threaten to destroy it. Together we will ensure a prosperous and secure future for our great nation,’ he added.

Gooden is the latest in a long line of members of Congress to endorse Trump in recent days, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., among others.

DeSantis is reportedly mulling his own run for the White House, but has not yet said whether he will officially launch a campaign.

Polls have shown Trump as the clear front-runner in the race, far ahead of his already declared opponents, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and businessman Perry Johnson, as well as potential opponents DeSantis, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Lawmakers in Iowa’s Senate passed a controversial bill Tuesday that would allow minors to work longer hours and work in currently banned roles, like serving alcohol at restaurants, the Des Moines Register reported.

Supporters of the bill — mainly Republicans — said it would give children valuable opportunities to work and get paid, whereas opponents — largely Democrats — said it would harm children.

Although two Republicans defied their party and voted against the bill with Democrats, the measure still passed 32-17 in the GOP-controlled Senate. The bill requires approval from the Republican-controlled House and from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds to become law.

The bill would allow kids under 16 to work up to six hours a day, which is two more hours than currently allowed for that age group. It would also allow 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol at restaurants, with written permission from their parent or guardian.

‘Ultimately, parents and kids will decide if they want to work or not,’ Reynolds has said favorably about the bill. ‘It teaches the kids a lot. And if they have the time to do it and they want to earn some additional money, I don’t think we should discourage that.’

The U.S. Department of Labor’s top lawyer, Seema Nanda, disagreed, saying it is ‘irresponsible for states to consider loosening child labor protections.’

Democrats and labor unions echoed that sentiment, saying the bill would increase the chance of workplace accidents and injuries among youth.

The Biden administration this month urged U.S. companies to make sure they aren’t illegally hiring children to perform dangerous jobs, after an investigation found more than 100 kids working overnight and handling hazardous equipment — like skull splitters and bone saws — for a company that cleans slaughterhouses across the country.

The Labor Department says it has more than 600 child labor investigations underway, and officials are concerned about the exploitation of children, particularly migrants who may not even have a parent in the United States.

A bipartisan bill designating carjacking as a criminal offense and creating harsher penalties for people who use a weapon to steal a vehicle received final approval in the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday.

Passage by the Assembly sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has said he supports the measure. The Senate passed it last month on a bipartisan 23-8 vote. Evers earlier this month signed into law a Republican-sponsored bill to crack down on reckless driving.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has moved quickly this year to pass stricter criminal penalties after the GOP made rising crime rates an election issue in the 2022 midterm.

Currently, someone who uses force or threatens force to steal a vehicle can be charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. The bill passed Tuesday would formally recognize that crime as carjacking.

Under the bill, someone who uses a weapon to steal a vehicle would be guilty of the second-highest level felony in the state and could be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. Currently, the maximum sentence is up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

People who are charged with stealing a car by force without using a weapon would still face up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000 under the bill.

Pornography websites that don’t require their users in Louisiana to present proof of age, such as by uploading their license, could face fines of $5,000 a day under a bill advancing in the House.

Lawmakers in the Louisiana House overwhelmingly approved the measure on Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The legislation would allow the state’s Attorney General to investigate and fine pornographic websites that do not comply with the state’s recently enacted age verification law.

‘In preparation for this bill today, I went to one of the largest non-compliant porn sites, so I could tell you exactly what non-compliance to age verification looks like. With only one click I was able to access hardcore pornography on the landing page alone, depicting acts of incest, sexual assault, rape, and sex with minors,’ said Rep. Laurie Laurie Schlegel, the Republican sponsoring the bill.

The bill is a companion to a law that went into effect at the start of this year, which requires adult websites to screen their visitors using ‘reasonable age verification.’ The new law applies to websites, where at least one-third of their content is pornographic material considered ‘harmful to minors.’

Certain adult websites, including Pornhub, began using LA Wallet — which can maintain a copy of a Louisiana resident’s digital driver’s license, as well as vaccination records, virtual court appearances and hunting and fishing licenses. LA Wallet’s system simply tells a third-party verification company whether or not the user is at least 18 years old, The Advocate reported.

Schlegel, who also sponsored last year’s law, said she created the legislation to ‘protect children from the dangers of online pornography.’

While people can sue companies that aren’t complying, Schlegel said her new legislation is meant to address websites that have ‘simply disregarded’ the law.

‘I know that many of you have heard me say, ‘This isn’t your daddy’s Playboy’ —- but, heck. This isn’t even the Hustler you hid underneath your bed … what we’re discussing today is hardcore pornography that is one click away from our children,’ said Schlegel, who is a sex addiction therapist.

Those skeptical of the bill raised privacy concerns and fears of initially broad language. But by the end of the debate, most lawmakers agreed on the bill, which passed 101-1. The sole opposing vote was from Democratic Rep. Mandie Landry. The legislation will move to the Senate to be assigned to a committee for further discussion.

INDIANAPOLIS – EXCLUSIVE: Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took firm action over the weekend to strengthen the Second Amendment rights of people in her state, signing an executive order on stage during her address to the annual National Rifle Association convention to stop what she called ‘discriminatory action’ against those rights.

Speaking with Fox News Digital immediately after signing of the order, the rumored 2024 presidential candidate stressed the need to ‘lead by example’ when it came to the Second Amendment, and shared what was on her mind as she mulls a potential run for the White House.

‘We’ve recently seen in this country that banking institutions are discriminating against firearm companies or ammunition companies. So what I did was sign an executive order that would prevent the state of South Dakota from doing any business with financial institutions that would do that type of discriminatory action against our Second Amendment rights,’ Noem said when asked about the order she signed in front of the thousands of NRA convention attendees.

‘It’s incredibly important that we set and lead by example. And this executive order is one way that we can do that to continue to stand for constitutional rights of the people in our state right now,’ she said.

In addressing the numerous recent deadly shootings snatching headlines across the country, Noem argued there were laws already in place needing to be enforced that she said would protect citizens and ensure the safety of children. 

‘Now, it’s more important than ever that those of us who value this country, that they value what our founders gave us as our rights to continue to defend them and to explain why they’re in place. They’re in place so a normal, everyday citizen has the chance to deter a corrupt government that would come in and take away their ability to provide for their families,’ she said.

When asked about the rumors swirling around the possibility she might launch a campaign for president, Noem said she wasn’t going to announce a decision just yet, but instead said she saw a country ‘desperate for a president’ that would fight for the values and principles America was built on.

‘I’m looking for an individual like that. I hope that people in this country are as well, because now more than ever, we’re seeing federal government come in and take away our ability to even conduct business, to raise our families as we see fit and to use our values that we were raised with,’ she said. 

‘I do think that it’s important that we keep our eye on the ball and make sure that we have the best individuals stepping forward to take on that role because we’ve got some big fights ahead and we need to make sure that we have a president who will hang in there with us,’ she added.

Concerning the 34 felony falsification of business records charges facing Trump in a New York court, Noem described them as ‘unprecedented action,’ and argued district attorney Alvin Bragg was ignoring the statute of limitations on the former president’s alleged crimes.

‘It’s clearly all politics. You know, I’m sure President Trump will go through the process and will come out recognizing that these kinds of attacks can be withstood and that he will continue to work for the people in this country,’ she said.