Why the prison population is so vulnerable to COVID-19

As coronavirus spreads through Florida, Jack McFarland is urging officials at Madison Correctional Facility to prepare a separate dorm for himself and other older prisoners. At 64, McFarland has spent the last 28 years in prison, and his age puts him at a higher risk of serious complications should he become infected.

Mar 24, 2020 3:25 PM CDT

Texas and Ohio AGs say abortions are nonessential medical procedures that must be delayed

Updated: Two state attorneys general have told abortion providers that abortions cannot be performed under state orders to delay nonessential and elective surgeries.

Mar 24, 2020 12:01 PM CDT

Chief innovation officer talks firm’s changing culture amid COVID-19 and best tips for working remotely

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Patrick DiDomenico, the chief innovation officer for Jackson Lewis, a large national labor and employment-focused law firm with more than 60 offices throughout the United States. He is also the author of Knowledge Management for Lawyers, published by the American Bar Association in 2016.

Mar 24, 2020 11:59 AM CDT

Several states postpone attorney discipline hearings because of the coronavirus

Several states, including two of the top three states with the largest number of lawyers, have postponed attorney discipline case hearings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mar 24, 2020 11:09 AM CDT

Klobuchar’s law prof husband is hospitalized with COVID-19

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has announced that her law professor husband, John Bessler, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is hospitalized in Virginia. Klobuchar said in a post on Medium that her husband was admitted to the hospital after he began coughing up blood and his oxygen…

Mar 24, 2020 9:55 AM CDT

What alternatives to the July bar exam are being considered in light of COVID-19?

Given that COVID-19 restrictions prohibit large gatherings for the foreseeable future, administration of the July 2020 bar exam seems unlikely, according to a working paper released Sunday by a group of legal academics. It calls for states to consider diploma privilege for 2020 law school graduates, as well as supervised practice.

Mar 23, 2020 3:50 PM CDT

New Jersey Supreme Court orders release of county jail inmates, with some exceptions allowed

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Sunday evening ordered the temporary release of inmates in county jails in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Mar 23, 2020 11:20 AM CDT

Above the Law founder David Lat is put on a ventilator after COVID-19 diagnosis

Updated: Above the Law founder David Lat is in critical condition and has been put on a ventilator after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, according to a news report over the weekend. Lat’s husband, Zachary Baron Shemtob, told the New York Law Journal that Lat was put on a…

Mar 23, 2020 9:50 AM CDT

Federal judge includes ‘be kind’ advice in orders following COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg of Atlanta has some words of advice in an order outlining new procedures and extended deadlines in her courtroom following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mar 20, 2020 3:39 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: ABA backs COVID-19 money for LSC; Larry Klayman files $20T suit against China

ABA president says LSC needs extra money for COVID-19 issues ABA President Judy Perry Martinez is asking Congress to provide a supplemental appropriation for the Legal Services Corp. The cash will help address the increasing legal needs of low-income Americans caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Extra money is needed…

Mar 20, 2020 3:30 PM CDT

Suspension of federal student loan payments available during COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 national emergency, borrowers can suspend federal student loan payments for at least 60 days with 0% interest, the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday.

Mar 20, 2020 1:49 PM CDT

SCOTUS extends filing deadlines because of coronavirus outbreak

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday extended filing deadlines for cert petitions because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mar 20, 2020 10:23 AM CDT

Lawyer with early diagnosis of COVID-19 is recovering; another dies from complications

A New York lawyer who was one of the first people in New York diagnosed with the novel coronavirus is recovering.

Mar 20, 2020 10:06 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Self-quarantined judge says COVID-19 not a hoax; Katy Perry wins copyright case

Judge who self-quarantined says COVID-19 isn’t a hoax Judge Bobby Peters of Georgia doesn’t know whether he had the novel coronavirus. The Muscogee superior court judge came back from Atlanta where he went to qualify for re-election and became sick with a headache, chest pain and congestion. He called his…

Mar 19, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

How the coronavirus is upending the criminal justice system

Mar 19, 2020 3:59 PM CDT