HELENA — In a unanimous ruling, the Montana Supreme Court has upheld a 2021 state law that banned discrimination based on whether someone has been vaccinated.

House Bill 702, passed during the COVID pandemic, says people can’t be denied goods, services, employment or public accommodations based on their vaccination status or an “immunity passport.” It also prohibits any vaccine mandate for a vaccine that’s under an emergency use authorization or going through safety trials – as many of the COVID vaccines were at that time.

Netzer, Krautter and Brown, a law firm based in Sidney, sued over HB 702, arguing that it violated fundamental rights, including the Montana Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and a “clean and healthful environment.”

In 2023 and 2024, a district judge in Ri

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