A federal court that blocked punishment of 35 Navy members seeking religious exemptions to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate should widen the ruling to cover any Navy personnel seeking an exception, lawyers said in a filing on Monday. The complaint in the case, U.S. Navy SEALS 1-3 et. al v. Lloyd Austin et. al, was amended to a class-action effort. That means the judge presiding over the case could widen the block of the mandate to the nearly 4,000 Navy active-duty or reserve members who are seeking religious exemptions. “Our clients are boldly leading the fight against the vaccine mandate, but no service member should face discipline or punishment for following their faith,” Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute, which is representing Navy personnel in the case, said in a statement. “The fact that the military continues to demonstrate hostility to anyone who expresses religious objection to the …