BAKER CITY — Five state employees, four of whom work at the Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City, have filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 20 in Baker County Circuit Court.

In an Oct. 22 filing, Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon attorney general, said the case is being transferred to U.S. District Court in Pendleton.

The plaintiffs are Powder River employees Yeni Arteaga, Shawn D. Delve, James A. Klusmier and Justin A. Phlaum. The fifth plaintiff, Kelcie Cathleen Wiley, lives in Payette County, Idaho, and works at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario.