Bloomberg Law | Deregulation Foes Worry Kavanaugh Could Tip High Court Balance

In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts’ mandated smallpox vaccinations in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, proclaiming that there are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good. This article discusses how courts historically have confirmed and reconfirmed states’ authority to require vaccinations in the name of public health, even in the face of First Amendment challenges.