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A federal judge has ruled that Indiana University may require its students to submit proof of Covid-19 vaccination before returning to campus this fall, dealing a setback to a brewing legal effort against vaccination requirements in higher education. In a 101-page decision handed down Sunday, U.S. District Judge Damon R. Leichty said the university system acted reasonably to protect public health when it required all of its students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by July 1, with limited medical and religious exceptions. (Gershman, 7/19)

Two state agencies that oversee higher education in Illinois on Monday encouraged colleges and universities to require COVID-19 vaccinations of students heading to campuses this fall. The Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board made the recommendation, which they say follows recently released guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. The state agencies contend the guidance will help facilitate the safe transition back to campus, as more students return to in-person learning. (7/20)

Students fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at Central Michigan University can enter to win full-year scholarships and hundreds of gift cards, the university announced Monday. The university will name winners Aug. 2 and 23, Sept. 13, and Oct. 4. Each drawing will have 100 students who will get a $75 gift card and one student who will win full-year scholarship equal to 30 domestic undergraduate credit hours or 18 domestic graduate credit hours to be used for the 2021-2022 school year. (7/19)

The United States could see a wave of Covid-19 vaccine mandates as soon as the Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to one or more of the shots, public health experts predicted. The three vaccines authorized by the FDA for emergency use against the coronavirus have proven safe and effective under that expedited review process and in the real world, and doctors and the nation's top public health officials have said there's no need for anyone to wait to get inoculated. (Pettypiece, 7/20)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vowed Monday to appeal a court ruling in favor of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restrictions on cruise ships. The cruise industry is worth billions of dollars for Florida's economy and DeSantis filed a lawsuit against the CDC last April in an effort to see normal operations resume. DeSantis succeeded in winning an injunction, but a federal appeals court ruled Saturday that the CDC regulations should remain in place. (Falconer, 7/19)

In his comments in Poinciana, Fla., on Monday, DeSantis said he thinks the state will “probably” take its legal fight “to the full 11th Circuit en banc.” “I think that most courts at this point have had their limit with the CDC issuing these dictates without a firm statutory basis. So I'm confident that we'd win on the merits at the full 11th Circuit,” he said. “Honestly, I'm confident we'd win at the U.S. Supreme Court,” the governor added, saying he thinks the ongoing legal battle is bigger than his state’s case. (Folley, 7/19)