Can Congress or the president institute a national quarantine?

By Jinitzail Hernández

Posted April 2, 2020 at 6:29am

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been calls and speculation surrounding a national quarantine in the United States.

CQ Roll Call sat down with professors Randy Barnett and Michael Dorf, experts in constitutional law and presidential powers, respectively, to discuss if Congress or the president has the power to institute such a quarantine.

The only thing they agreed on? It’s complicated.

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