Supreme Court Voids Louisiana Health Law Barring Federal Claims

The US Supreme Court reversed a Louisiana appeals court in ruling that a state law immunizing health care providers during public health emergencies can’t shield them from federal disability claims.

In a per curiam opinion on Monday, the justices said state courts got it wrong when they held the 2003 Louisiana Health Emergency Powers Act barred claims seeking damages in a state lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Defining the scope of liability under state law is the State’s prerogative,” the justices wrote in the unsigned decision. “But a State has no power to confer immunity from federal causes ...