COVID-19

Lawyer censured after calling governor ‘tyrant’ and lawmakers ‘spineless tools’ in COVID-19 litigation

A New Mexico lawyer has received a public censure partly for “inflammatory and misleading statements” in litigation opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including a claimed right to disqualify judges who had received COVID-19 vaccines.

Feb 6, 2024 3:55 PM CST

Face masks at trial didn’t violate confrontation right of officer accused of bathroom assault, 4th Circuit rules

The Sixth Amendment right to confrontation wasn’t violated when a judge required witnesses to wear face masks in the trial of a former Logan, West Virginia, police officer accused of violating the civil rights of a public intoxication arrestee, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jan 16, 2024 3:40 PM CST

Relax with our favorite long reads of 2023

Hopefully you're going to have some time over the winter holidays to cozy up with a good story. We've curated a list of some of our favorite web and print long reads from 2023. There's a mix of popular features and some under-the-radar stories that you may have missed.

Dec 22, 2023 1:50 PM CST

Former Baltimore state’s attorney convicted for claiming pandemic hardship to get retirement cash

Federal jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby on two counts of perjury Thursday for lying about COVID-19 pandemic hardship to take early withdrawals totaling $90,000 from her city retirement fund.

Nov 10, 2023 9:39 AM CST

Keramet Reiter helps build in-prison education programs in California

Keramet Reiter has spent countless hours inside prisons, working with individuals who are incarcerated and studying the impact of prison and punishment policies on them, their communities and the legal system. As part of her work, Reiter has focused on expanding access to in-prison education programs.

Nov 9, 2023 10:02 AM CST

Lawyer suffering from pandemic stress censured for accessing judge’s computer, changing clerk’s time card

A New York lawyer has been censured for accessing a judge’s computer while she was experiencing mental health issues that partly stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 4, 2023 8:51 AM CDT

US pressure on social media over misinformation likely unconstitutional, 5th Circuit says

Updated: The U.S. government likely violated the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to block COVID-19 misinformation and other content, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Sep 11, 2023 10:42 AM CDT

FDA’s ‘tweet-sized doses’ of ivermectin advice can be challenged in lawsuit, 5th Circuit says

Doctors who prescribed the human version of a drug called ivermectin to thousands of their COVID-19 patients can sue the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 5, 2023 11:09 AM CDT

Louisiana man’s jokes about sheriff’s department are protected free speech, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Louisiana man who was arrested after posting on Facebook that a local sheriff’s department had ordered its deputies to shoot people who were infected with COVID-19.

Aug 28, 2023 11:43 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS asked to hear high school admissions case over race; utility company faces suit after Hawaii wildfires

Supreme Court could hear high school admissions case involving race The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday was asked to hear a Virginia high school admissions case over race. The Coalition for TJ, a group of parents and students, filed the petition for writ of certiorari in response to the Fairfax…

Aug 25, 2023 2:09 PM CDT

Federal initiative recovers over $836M in stolen COVID-19 relief funds, DOJ says

From May through July, the U.S. Department of Justice led enforcement actions against 718 individuals for offenses involving more than $836 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud.

Aug 25, 2023 11:42 AM CDT

Alston & Bird resolves dispute over legal advice during pandemic

Law firm Alston & Bird has resolved a federal lawsuit over its regulatory advice on the imports of hand sanitizing wipes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 21, 2023 10:55 AM CDT

Are law firm leaders having second thoughts on remote work?

Recent headlines suggest the flexible working arrangements many take for granted are not so settled in the minds of corporate CEOs and law firm leaders. Postings for remote work positions are waning despite high demand from applicants. That, combined with a softening economy, has some wondering if companies have newfound leverage to demand workers to come in.

Aug 1, 2023 2:40 AM CDT

Thanks to the pandemic, law firms have embraced remote e-discovery

Three years after the reviews went home, law firms are discovering that the remote model they once viewed with great suspicion can enhance rather than endanger their projects. As a result, reviews are showing no signs of ever returning exclusively to the back room.

Aug 1, 2023 2:30 AM CDT

Return-to-office push prompts law firms to reconsider child care benefits

As calls for a return to the office grow, the stressor of juggling child care weighs heavily on working parents at law firms—namely for those whose livelihoods are often tied to billable hours.

Aug 1, 2023 1:20 AM CDT