Author: John Fritze, USA TODAY

A federal court of appeals in Chicago upheld Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate days earlier, citing a Supreme Court decision from 1905.

The effort to revive the lawsuit came a day after the administration announced a new moratorium on evictions in counties hardest hit by COVID-19.

The case pits two principles against each another: The right to free exercise of religion and the commitment to separation of church and state.

Approval of the Supreme Court dropped to 49%, according to a Gallup poll. That comes amid a broader debate about structural changes to the high court.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority could have weakened Chief Justice Roberts’ influence. Instead, his approach prevailed this term.

The lawsuit wound up back at the Supreme Court at a time when some states are passing laws to limit protections for transgender people.

The 8-1 ruling left unresolved the broader question of when schools may regulate off-campus speech.

Advocates for LGBTQ and religious rights say the Supreme Court decision will prompt new litigation testing the limits of religious freedom.

Gavin Grimm’s lawsuit drew headlines in 2016 when the Supreme Court initially agreed to hear it. A change in presidents has brought the case back.

Some 400,000 people, most from El Salvador, live in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status.