Free Webinars on Public Health and the Judiciary

The U.S. D.H.H.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) are sponsoring three free webinars on Public Health and the Judiciary.  The first webinar – When Public Health Goes to Court:  Judicial Structure and Functions – will be 1pm-2:30pm EST, Thursday, February 5th, 2015.  This webinar will will look at the structure and essential functions of the state and federal court systems (including administrative courts), explore the Tribal court system, and examine the role of court watch programs in addressing public health issues.  Speakers will be Judge David T. Emerson, Douglas County Superior Court, Georgia; Lorre Cuzze, JD, MPH, Law Clerk, State Court of Dekalb County, Georgia; Tina Batra Hershey, JD, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management; and Kerri McGowan Lowrey, JD, MPH, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law – Eastern region.  CLEs are available for some attendees.  Register here.

The two upcoming webinars in this series will be Public Health in the Courts and The Court and Public Health Emergencies.  Details will be publicized as they become available.  In the general materials on the need for these webinars, the CDC and NPHL recognize that the US court system has a substantial impact on public health.  “The courts have been instrumental in establishing the evolving reach and boundaries of government involvement in public health since the 1800’s.  The Supreme Court’s landmark 1905 decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts recognized the judiciary as both an enforcer of governmental public health policies, and an arbiter of the conflicts between individual liberties and public interests that arise from governmental public health action.  Because of the critical role that the U.S. judicial system plays in advancing public health goals, it is essential that public health practitioners, legal counsel, and other partners understand how the court system works and how courts are involved in public health matters.”

Above image is a 1963 CDC poster, featuring “Wellbee,” a CDC symbol of public health.