The Rollback of Public Health Emergency Powers and a New Model Law

Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Add to Calendar: Add to Calendar: 2023-03-08 12:00:00 2023-03-08 13:00:00 The Rollback of Public Health Emergency Powers and a New Model Law Event Description The COVID-19 pandemic caused governors to use executive branch public health powers to an unprecedented degree. A combination of public weariness with the pandemic, frustration with executive actions designed to mitigate the community effects of COVID, and ongoing anti-government sentiment has resulted in judicial and legislative actions that have eliminated fundamental executive power to protect public health during an emergency. To assure that all states are prepared for future public health emergencies, the Uniform Law Commission is drafting a model public health emergency authorities law. Rob Gatter is helping to lead this drafting project and will describe the draft model law. Speaker Bio Rob Gatter is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis University. He is an author of the casebook "Health Law: Cases, Materials and Problems," which is now in its ninth edition. Gatter's scholarship and service is focused on law and policy affecting infectious disease threats. He has published a dozen articles related to novel influenza, Ebola, and COVID policy and presented on those topics at a variety of academic, professional, and community organizations. He served on the COVID task force of St. Louis County, and he is currently the Reporter to a Uniform Law Commission committee drafting a model state public health emergency authorities statute. Reading Materials Police Power in the Time of COVID-19 Model State Emergency Health Powers Act Case Western Reserve University Law School Moot Courtroom 11075 East Blvd George Gund Hall Cleveland, OH 44106 School of Law School of Law America/New_York public

In-person for students only, virtual for non-students (CLE available virtually only).

1.0 hour of CLE credit has been approved

Webcast Archive Content

Video: The Rollback of Public Health Emergency Powers and a New Model Law

Event Description

The COVID-19 pandemic caused governors to use executive branch public health powers to an unprecedented degree. A combination of public weariness with the pandemic, frustration with executive actions designed to mitigate the community effects of COVID, and ongoing anti-government sentiment has resulted in judicial and legislative actions that have eliminated fundamental executive power to protect public health during an emergency. To assure that all states are prepared for future public health emergencies, the Uniform Law Commission is drafting a model public health emergency authorities law. Rob Gatter is helping to lead this drafting project and will describe the draft model law.

Speaker Bio

Rob Gatter is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis University. He is an author of the casebook "Health Law: Cases, Materials and Problems," which is now in its ninth edition. Gatter's scholarship and service is focused on law and policy affecting infectious disease threats. He has published a dozen articles related to novel influenza, Ebola, and COVID policy and presented on those topics at a variety of academic, professional, and community organizations. He served on the COVID task force of St. Louis County, and he is currently the Reporter to a Uniform Law Commission committee drafting a model state public health emergency authorities statute.

Reading Materials

Police Power in the Time of COVID-19

Model State Emergency Health Powers Act

Event Location

Case Western Reserve University Law School

Moot Courtroom

11075 East Blvd

George Gund Hall

Cleveland, OH 44106

Rob Gatter