The Supreme Court Vaccine Case: Jacobson v. Mass.: Explained

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted intense debate over public-health mandates, most recently sparked by President Joe Biden’s call for vaccine measures that could cover millions of Americans.

Often mentioned is a U.S. Supreme Court case triggered by another era’s vaccine mandate: 1905’s Jacobson v. Massachusetts.

The decision provided robust state and local power to vaccinate, but doesn’t control the federal power that challengers to Biden’s action might contest in court.

1. What’s Jacobson About?

Attempting to fight smallpox in the early 20th century, Cambridge, Mass., officials passed regulations, under state law, requiring vaccination.

Henning Jacobson refused to comply. He ...