Emergency Legal Preparedness and Response
During disease outbreaks or natural disasters, jurisdictions may take divergent legal approaches in their responses to national or regional public health threats. Legal authorities vary across states, tribal governments and localities during declared emergencies. Conflicting laws and overlapping jurisdictions further complicate key decisions on when or how to respond.
Explore a Sub-topic
Resources
Strengthening Public Health Authority to Contain and Prevent Communicable Disease
Read More
Guidance: COVID-19 Vaccine and Employer Mandates
Read More
Proposed Limits on Public Health Authority: Dangerous for Public Health
Read More
Proposed Limits on Public Health Authority: Dangerous for Public Health
Read More
Ensuring Changes in Emergency Powers and Public Health Authority Will Protect Health
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness: COVID-19
Read More
A New National Strategy for COVID-19 Response: Legal Opportunities and Challenges
Read More
COVID-19: Public and Global Health Law and Ethics Across Diverse Systems, Populations and Workforces
Read More
COVID-19: Navigating Public Health Emergency Legal Responses Underlying Re-opening State/Local Economies
Read More
Summary of Authority and Actions Regarding Public Health Emergencies: Pennsylvania’s Public Health Laws
Read More
Summary of Authority and Actions Regarding Public Health Emergencies: Ohio Public Health Code
Read More
State Legal Authority to Investigate the Spread of Communicable Disease
Read More
Summary of Authority and Actions Regarding Public Health Emergencies: Indiana Public Health Code
Read More
COVID-19: Focus on Emerging Constitutional Challenges
Read More
Overview of COVID-19 Emergency Declarations
Read More
COVID-19 Real-Time Legal Responses: Local Governments on the Frontlines
Read More
U.S. Legal Preparedness and Real-time Responses: COVID-19
Read More
2019 Novel Coronavirus: Legal Preparedness and Public Health Response Efforts
Read More
Legal Emergency Preparedness Resources
Read More
Opioid-related Public Health Emergency Declarations
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness Concerning Ebola
Read More
Measles Outbreak: Public Health Authority, New York City’s Immunization Mandate, and the Current Legislative Landscape
Read More
Public Health Decision-Making Tool
Read More
Preventing Communicable Disease through Vaccination Laws
Read More
Learning from the Flint Water Crisis – Protecting the Public’s Health During a Financial Emergency
Read More
Public Health Handbook for Communities Under Emergency Management – A Case Study of the Flint Water Crisis
Read More
Emergency Manager Law Primer: Protecting the Public’s Health During Financial Emergencies – Lessons Learned from the Flint Water Crisis
Read More
Declared States of Emergency – Opioid Crisis
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness – Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness and Zika Virus
Read More
Legal Liability Protections for Emergency Medical/Public Health Responses
Read More
Emergency Declaration Authorities
Read More
Summary of Authority & Actions Regarding Public Health Emergencies: Michigan Public Health Code
Read More
Federal and Michigan Laws Protecting Individuals from Tort Liability
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness Concerning Ebola Virus Disease
Read More
Ebola Public Health Emergency Legal Preparedness and Response FAQs
Read More
Spotlight
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: A Recent Supreme Court Ruling Could Have Serious Implications for Public Sector Vaccine Mandates
Read More
New Report on Proposed Limits on Public Health Authority
Read More
Emergency Legal Preparedness and Response: A Decade of Unprecedented Challenges
Read More
Learn More
A Closer Look at Emergency Legal Preparedness and Response
Public health officials may face many critical legal and policy decisions during public health emergencies, including:
- Inter-jurisdictional legal coordination of federal, tribal, state and local actors in real-time emergencies under changing legal norms
- The ability to issue isolation or quarantine orders, or other social distancing methods, to control public health threats
- Whether to close or dismiss schools, or other public assemblies, temporarily or for prolonged periods to prevent the spread of communicable diseases
- The authority to mandate vaccinations for minors or autonomous adults, including health care workers
- Licensing, credentialing and privileging out-of-state health practitioners
- Inter-jurisdictional management of scarce resources including personnel, vaccines, shelter and sustenance
- Omnipresent concerns over liability of public health practitioners during emergencies
Explore Topics
Related Empowered Public Health System Resources
How we can help
Legal Research and Assistance
Experienced legal experts are available to answer questions and provide research, analysis and guidance. Let us know what you’re working on and together we can figure out how we can help.
Legal Assistance Library
Explore the Network’s Legal Assistance Library to find answers to commonly asked questions on a variety of public health topics.