Jennifer Piatt

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred an unprecedented national vaccination campaign, prompting new legal challenges to vaccination mandates. While vaccine mandates have been upheld since Jacobson v. Massachusetts, recent court decisions indicate the potential for a change in the form of a requirement that all public sector vaccine mandates include a religious exemption.  Studies show that states with religious exemptions tend to have much lower vaccine rates, making the possibility of required religious exceptions of significant concern for public health.

Overview 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET | July 29, 2021While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health policy remains to be seen,…

This issue brief examines evidence of racial disparities with respect to COVID-19 infections and deaths, possible causes, and legal protections against race discrimination. It also provides an overview of CSC planning, including key ethical features that may be utilized to ensure that CSC planning incorporates concerns about racial inequity.

This fact sheet outlines efforts, both legislative and other, to evaluate and improve public health authority and emergency response in the aftermath of the pandemic.

This fact sheet provides a review of select state requirements, and additional information as available from certain state or local health departments.

In addressing questions regarding executive decision-making, we use the following general approach. Michigan’s Public Health Code grants public health officials considerable discretion to protect the public against communicable disease and environmental health threats. To exercise their broad grant of authority, the executive must ask three key questions: Can I? Must I? Should I?

Public and private employers across the U.S. are considering the potential for COVID-19 vaccine requirements for their workforces, especially among health care workers. This resource examines the likelihood of employer vaccine mandates.

In this webinar, presenters will describe the nature of the laws being announced from the judicial bench or proposed in state legislatures, the process by which they are being formulated in every level and branch of government, and the principles that should guide legal developments as we seek to balance the facts, expert opinion, and civic participation, as well as guard against harmful unforeseen consequences.

On January 28, President Biden issued the Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad to address the previous administration’s “global” and “domestic” rules preventing U.S.- funded entities from consulting on, referring for, or providing abortion services, which presented clear obstacles to healthcare access for low-income women in the U.S. and globally. The memorandum is an important step toward increasing access to reproductive care.

Join Network attorneys as they highlight their top choices for pivotal, influential judicial decisions over the past year on topics including emergency legal preparedness, religious freedoms, reproductive rights, food insecurity, health justice, and the future of the ACA.

Speakers examine issues arising from devising equitable and efficient allocation plans, as well as the process used by agencies when considering recommending a vaccine.

Join the Network for an engaging real-time assessment and discussion of potential and projected legal and policy changes ahead on these and other core public health topics. Share your potential questions in advance during registration or during the live session.