“Preemption,” in a nutshell, is the idea that laws issued by a higher level of government can invalidate lower level laws. In practice, a state may use its preemptive authority to prevent a locality from taking certain action, and the federal government can similarly prevent a state from acting in certain arenas. Preemption helps to ensure that, when laws conflict, there is a clear path to determining which law governs. Yet applying preemption has practical impacts and can also be weaponized against public health in certain arenas.

Attend this webinar, hosted by the Network for Public Health Law, featuring researchers from the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University Beasley School of Law to

• understand how states are wielding preemption as a tool in discriminating against transgender people;
• learn about the backlash against critical race theory and how states are broadly preventing any discussion related to race in school classrooms; and
• learn about key topics in preemption relating to reproductive rights and reproductive health, from federal and state perspectives, post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (June 2022).

Moderator: Amy Cook JD, Senior Law and Policy Analyst, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law

Presenters:

• Jennifer L. Piatt, JD, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law—Western Region Office
• Sabrina Ruchelli, JD, Law and Policy Analyst, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law
• Sterling Johnson, JD, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law; Ph.D. Student, Geography & Urban Studies, Temple University
• Adam Herpolsheimer, JD, Law and Policy Analyst, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law