Public Health Law

This course surveys public health law, which consists of local, state, federal, and international law used to protect the public from illness, death, and disability. The first part of the course will focus on the sources of state and federal legal authority to regulate for public health, as well as the tensions with public health regulation and civil liberties and individual rights. The second part of the course will focus on some common areas of public health regulation (e.g., drugs, tobacco, obesity, etc.). The third part of the course will focus on whether public health regulation is consistent with the U.S. constitution, specifically the first, second, and fourteenth amendments. The fourth part of the course will focus on public health tools such as testing, screening, and searching for health risks and corresponding issues with privacy, confidentiality and surveillance. If time permits, the course will also cover emergency preparedness and bioterrorism. The field of public health law is rapidly changing, and I encourage you to keep up on current events and legal changes.