A federal judge has temporarily halted the discharge of hundreds of Marines who were denied religious exemptions from the military's requirement that they receive the experimental COVID-19 vaccine shots, which have not prevented infection and the spread of the virus as promised.

U.S. District Judge Steve Merryday, a George. H.W. Bush appointee, ruled Thursday that the Marines have failed to adhere to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Epoch Times reported.

And significantly, he ruled a class action for any Marine affirmed by a chaplain as having a sincere religious objection who filed for an exemption on time and was denied.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act requires the federal government to prove it has a compelling interest requires in a certain action and that there are no less restrictive alternatives.