Health Law

Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2021 was your favorite?

In 2021, we covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics at the ABA Journal.

Dec 13, 2021 9:15 AM CST

BigLaw firm cancels holiday parties after gathering apparently leads to COVID-19 outbreak

Latham & Watkins will cancel "further indoor holiday parties" after multiple people tested positive for COVID-19 following a Dec. 2 party hosted by the law firm’s New York corporate department, according to a Latham spokesperson.

Dec 13, 2021 8:58 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: Emmett Till probe closed; Black couple’s suit says appraisal changed with pretend white homeowner

DOJ closes Emmett Till investigation The U.S. Department of Justice has closed its reopened investigation into the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black youth tortured and shot in Mississippi after he was accused of making sexual advances toward a white woman in her store. The woman had testified…

Dec 10, 2021 3:17 PM CST

Supreme Court allows abortion providers to sue over Texas law but keeps law intact for now

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that abortion providers can sue over a Texas abortion law that authorizes private parties to sue anyone who aids an abortion performed after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Dec 10, 2021 9:30 AM CST

Juries without COVID-19-conscious people may be more likely to convict, defense lawyers say

The COVID-19 pandemic may be changing the composition of juries because of the exclusion of people who fear contracting the virus, defense lawyers have told the Washington Post.

Dec 9, 2021 9:24 AM CST

Supreme Court appears ready to uphold ban on abortions after 15 weeks

The six conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared ready Wednesday to end the viability dividing line for abortion rights.

Dec 1, 2021 2:52 PM CST

Debates about ‘freedom’ and ‘choice’ often misconstrue democracy

Although we live in a democracy, that doesn’t mean we have a wholesale, unfettered endorsement to do whatever we want. Our democracy is a social contract—a compact that is the foundation of the U.S. political system. A government established by “We the People” is indeed required to serve the people. But in exchange, members cooperate to ensure the common welfare and social benefits, and they must sacrifice some individual liberty.

Dec 1, 2021 2:30 AM CST

Lawyer-chemist’s career path includes research into psychiatric uses for psychedelic mushrooms

Andrew Chadeayne, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, is also a patent lawyer. His experience includes intellectual property work for pharmaceutical companies and a major freight forwarder. But it was his work for the revolutionary cannabis research company Ebbu that ignited his interest in developing and commercializing the mind-altering properties of much-maligned plants.

Dec 1, 2021 2:10 AM CST

Chemerinsky: Ruling in abortion cases will greatly affect women’s lives but won’t end controversy

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a Mississippi law prohibiting abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.

Nov 30, 2021 9:06 AM CST

3 pharmacy chains found liable in opioid epidemic in Ohio case

Federal jurors in Cleveland on Tuesday found that CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are liable for contributing to the opioid epidemic in two Ohio counties.

Nov 24, 2021 10:23 AM CST

America’s fights over medical treatment choices didn’t start with COVID-19 and ivermectin

Like the legal profession, the practice of medicine in the United States is highly regulated. But it hasn't always been, and the idea that a person has the right to try the medical therapies of their choice has a much longer history. In Choose Your Medicine: Freedom of Therapeutic Choice in America, law professor Lewis A. Grossman introduces readers to a fractious history with some unexpected combatants—and comrades.

Nov 24, 2021 8:48 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: New charges against lawyer accused of staging his shooting; Christian florist settles

Suspended lawyer Alex Murdaugh faces new charges Suspended South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, previously charged in an alleged scheme to have himself killed for insurance money, is facing 27 new charges as the result of five indictments by a South Carolina state grand jury. The indictments allege that Murdaugh stole…

Nov 19, 2021 4:14 PM CST

NRA’s lawsuit claims over closed gun stores are moot, 2nd Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that the National Rifle Association can’t obtain an injunction or damages for its members in a lawsuit over the closing of New York gun stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov 17, 2021 11:16 AM CST

6th Circuit picked to consider 34 challenges to vaccine mandate; these plaintiffs filed initial suits there

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati was picked in a court lottery Tuesday to hear 34 consolidated challenges to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for larger employers.

Nov 17, 2021 9:47 AM CST

Are remote learning and burnout to blame for declining bar pass rates?

Bar exam pass rates dropped in July 2021, and some fear another decrease for 2022 graduates nationally because most candidates will have experienced at least half their legal education during the pandemic. Related problems mentioned by academics include getting used to online learning, isolation, anxiety and exhaustion.

Nov 16, 2021 3:37 PM CST