North Central College Webinar Series: COVID and the Constitution

Presented by Professor Tom Cavenagh, Schneller Sisters Professor of Leadership, Ethics, and Values; Director of Leadership, Ethics and Values program; co-director, Center for Social Impact

The legal issues borne from the coronavirus pandemic are staggering in terms of number and complexity. These issues range from First Amendment questions regarding the right to gather and the right to worship, to Fourth Amendment privacy questions relative to testing and contact tracing, to broad constitutional questions on the authority vested in governors and the president to lock down and quarantine all or portions of the population. Can one be compelled to wear a mask? To take a virus test? To download a contact tracing smartphone app? Can employers require temperature checks as a condition of returning to the workplace? As states and cities reopen, potential liability for virus transmission looms as a major source of worry. Should government provide immunity to businesses that meet certain safety standards? This session will explore the current state of the law on these pressing questions.

[tuesdayswithandreapodcast]

enjoyed this very much and looking forward to q&a tonight