The purpose of this bench book is to serve as a guide for judges who evaluate public health control measures and public health authorities who implement such control measures, such as quarantine and isolation, particularly during a public health emergency. This area of the law is in sufficient flux that the statutes cited and principles stated in this bench book should not be considered definitive at a later date but can be used as a basis from which to further research and understand this area of law.
Studies continue to demonstrate exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is causally linked to cancer and other serious health consequences among children and adults. Placing restrictions on smoking in public places is a key strategy to limit the public's exposure to SHS. This website presents and describes a sample of Texas municipal ordinances designed to restrict exposure to secondhand smoke collected over more than twenty years of ongoing research.
Baylor College of Medicine (Ethics Center)
Houston Bar Association - Health Law Section
Prudential
State Bar of Texas - Health Law Section
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
Texas Legislature
University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
Professor Laura Portuondo’s latest scholarly article, Gendered Liberty, is forthcoming in the Georgetown Law Journal. In the article, Professor Portuondo explores recent developments in First and Fourteenth Amendment jurisprudence to argue that they have adopted a distinct theory of liberty: one that protects the freedom to enforce traditional ideas about gender and denies the freedom to challenge them. This article won the 2024 Haub Law Emerging Scholar Award in Women, Gender, & Law and was selected for inclusion in various constitutional law conferences.
Professor Fowler’s latest scholarly work, “Influencer Speech-Torts,” is forthcoming in the Georgetown Law Journal. In this piece, she and her coauthors, Professor Max Helveston of De-Paul University College of Law and Professor Zoe Robinson of Marquette University Law School, explore tort liability and the imposition of duties on social media influencers in the context of influencer health advice. This work was also selected for inclusion as a workshop at the Berkeley Consumer Law Scholars Conference
