Yesterday, the U. S. Supreme Court recognized that Congress meant what it said, holding that the Vaccine Act expressly preempts all state-law products liability suits challenging the design of widely administered childhood vaccines, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already determined to be safe and effective.

FORBES: High Court Upholds Federal Preemption of Design Defect Claims Against Vaccine Makers

Supporters of the plaintiffs say product-liability law is designed to prod manufacturers into producing safer products.

FORBES: Vaccine Case Brings Out The Instrumentalist In All Of Us