Public Health Law

This new edition offers a fresh take on the rapidly evolving field of public health law. Grounding students in foundational thematic concepts what counts as a public health issue, choosing among multiple legal options, the changing scope and limits of government power, and ensuring justice and fairness it examines major shifts in constitutional doctrine including federalism, speech, religion, reproductive rights, and privacy, as well as human rights at the global level. Cases and materials critically examine how these concepts apply to contemporary and future issues, including substance use, firearms, health insurance, food supply, big data, surveillance, epidemics, and disaster preparedness. This provides a useful framework for analyzing competing interests among governments, private entities, individuals, and human rights in multiple contexts and as the law changes.

The new edition is designed not only for those interested in public health law, but also for students in many other areas of law and public policy, including law students and graduate students in public health, public policy, and medicine.