Center for Health Policy and Law

Pedestrians, some with masks, some without walk along the Las Vegas Strip on April 27, 2021

What do the new CDC mask guidelines mean?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that people fully vaccinated for the coronavirus no longer need to wear masks in public. How does that gibe with state and local rules mandating mask-wearing? And how will the new guidelines affect the vaccination rate? Northeastern faculty in law and public health unravel these questions.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki May 14, 2021

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Why Trump-era immigration rule likely is impacting Hispanic inoculations

Some immigrants may be foregoing vaccinations and accessing other health benefits because of a Trump administration rule. The Biden administration stopped enforcing it, but prevailing fear looms large, according to a Northeastern public health faculty expert. Several red states are suing the White House to enforce the measure.

by Peter Ramjug April 5, 2021

Migrants are seen in custody at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing area under the Anzalduas International Bridge on March 19, 2021, in Mission, Texas. AP Photo by Julio Cortez

The border conundrum: Solutions call for new policies to an ‘ongoing crisis’

One of the reasons for an influx of unaccompanied minors at the southern border is that their parents are being kept out under a Trump-era health law. Biden should end the expulsions and allow everyone, including adults, to seek asylum. Whether the situation rises to a “new crisis” is subjective, Northeastern’s immigration faculty experts say.

by Peter Ramjug March 30, 2021

President-elect Joe Biden removes his face mask to speak at The Queen theater on Nov. 5, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo by Carolyn Kaster

Will Biden’s proposed mask mandate actually force people to wear facial coverings?

Probably not, because any mandate he tried to impose would likely face court challenges. But there are other ways he can use the power of the presidency to try to get more people on board, including a direct appeal to our conscience, professors Wendy Parmet and Patricia Illingworth say.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. AP Photo by Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA

An economic stimulus measure could still pass this year despite an election upheaval

Once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, little cooperation from a divided Congress is expected on most major legislative issues. The new president can still pull the levers of power to accomplish some of his administration’s priorities, professors Wendy Parmet and David Lazer say.

by Peter Ramjug November 9, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence listens as Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during the vice presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Pool via AP

Pence and Harris’s low-key debate probably won’t change many voters' minds. Here's why.

The debate probably didn’t move the needle in terms of attracting undecideds, Northeastern professors observe. But with a Supreme Court nomination hearing on the way, their discussion set the stage for a looming political conflict

by Peter Ramjug October 8, 2020

A security guard walks past a giant American flag hanging in Woodrow Wilson Plaza behind temporary metal fencing ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, in Washington, D.C., on August 21, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. AP photo by Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA

How can the US fix legal flaws exposed by COVID-19?

Wall off the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from politics, and let the agency focus on the core mission of public health, says law professor Wendy Parmet.

by Peter Ramjug September 10, 2020