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Source and Scope of Public Health Legal Powers

District of Columbia, et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, et al.

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Overview

District of Columbia, et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, et al. (U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, October 18, 2020): A federal court blocked the first of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 3 measures planned to restrict access to SNAP benefits, calling the measures “arbitrary and capricious,” as they ignored the conditions of local labor markets and were not based on evidence. The court granted summary judgment to a coalition of 19 states, D.C., New York City, and private entities that sued to block the rule, which eliminates state discretion to waive work requirements in areas experiencing economic distress, resulting in sweeping cuts for adults without children. The court held that, “[d]espite the agency’s blinkered effort to downplay or disregard the predicted outcomes of the Final Rule, the backdrop of the pandemic has provided, in stark relief, its procedural and substantive flaws.” Read the full opinion here. 

View all cases in the Judicial Trends in Public Health – November 16, 2020.

View all cases under “Source & Scope of Public Health Legal Powers.”