Hillsborough County v. Automated Medical Laboratories, Inc.
United States Supreme Court
471 U.S. 707 (1985)
- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
Hillsborough County, Florida (plaintiff) passed several local ordinances related to the collection of blood plasma from paid donors. Specifically, these ordinances required that donors be tested for hepatitis, donate at only one center, and be given a breath analysis for alcohol content before each donation. Hillsborough sued Automated Medical Laboratories, Inc. (defendant) for violating these ordinances. The district court ruled in Hillsborough’s favor, and Automated appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Automated argued that the Public Health Service Act preempted the field of blood donation, so any local ordinance was invalid. The appeals court ruled in Automated’s favor, and Hillsborough appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Marshall, J.)
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