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Jacobson v. Massachusetts

United States Supreme Court

197 U.S. 11 (1905)

Constitutional Law
Relevant factsFree

Jacobson (plaintiff) challenged a Massachusetts law letting cities require smallpox vaccination or a $5 fine, after Cambridge adopted such a rule amid rising smallpox cases. He lost in state court and appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the mandatory-vaccination law was unreasonable, arbitrary, and violated his personal liberty.

IssueFree

Whether a state has authority under its police power to enact reasonable laws, such as mandatory vaccination requirements, to protect the public health and safety of its citizens.

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