Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1900)
- Docket
- 70
- Decided
- 1900-1940-
Summary
Question: Did the mandatory vaccination law violate Jacobson's Fourteenth Amendment right to liberty? Conclusion: The Court held that the law was a legitimate exercise of the state's police power to protect the public health and safety of its citizens. Local boards of health determined when mandatory vaccinations were needed, thus making the requirement neither unreasonable nor arbitrarily imposed.