Staff Contact: Jane Drummond
In December, the Cole County Circuit Court ruled certain public health regulations of DHSS invalid because they unlawfully delegated certain activities to local public health agencies. The rules included provisions for investigating and mitigating communicable diseases, contact tracing, and immunizations. After the trial court’s decision, several health departments and Jackson County, Mo., attempted to intervene in the case in order to appeal.
The Court of Appeals ruled the county and public health authorities did not have the ability to intervene in the case after the trial court had ruled. Because they lacked standing to bring the appeal, the lower court’s ruling will stand, and the rules remain void.
