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Quotation from Jacobson v. Massachusetts by Supreme Court of the United States
“Upon the principle of self-defense, of paramount necessity, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members.”
Jacobson v. Massachusetts, Opinion of the Court (Justice Harlan) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource))
Harlan states the foundation of the board of health's authority during the Cambridge smallpox outbreak.
Citation: "Upon the principle of self-defense, of paramount necessity, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members." — Supreme Court of the United States, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, Opinion of the Court (Justice Harlan) (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource)). (id jacobson-v-massachusetts-q3)
Portrait: JudgeJMHarlan, Mathew Brady or Levin Handy, Public domain.
