Public Health

Several top law schools adopt pass-fail grading plans after going online

At least five top law schools have announced they are adopting pass-fail grading or giving students the pass-fail option.

Mar 19, 2020 1:34 PM CDT

Can companies be held liable when their employees fall ill with the coronavirus?

Companies across the country have shuttered operations, required employees to work remotely and limited services and business hours. As these companies face an uncertain financial future, they also face the possibility that their workers will contract the coronavirus and hold them accountable for not putting proper protections in place.

Mar 19, 2020 11:30 AM CDT

ICE halts most immigration enforcement, more courts close amid COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is cutting back arrests as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mar 19, 2020 11:22 AM CDT

Judge defies order to delay hearings, denies issuing warrants for no-shows

“Not everyone watches the news, and I wanted to be here and have the hearings for those that showed up,” Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Pinkey Carr said.

Mar 19, 2020 11:02 AM CDT

As COVID-19 mandates virtual law classes, nonprofit creates list of volunteer online speakers

If you have any interest in being a guest law school speaker, now is the time, provided that you’re comfortable doing it online.

Mar 19, 2020 10:35 AM CDT

Outbreaks of disease have shuttered the Supreme Court going back more than 2 centuries

When the U.S. Supreme Court announced this week that its March sitting of oral arguments would be postponed “in keeping with public health precautions recommended in response to COVID-19,” the statement included some historical references for support—going back as far as 227 years ago.

Mar 19, 2020 9:10 AM CDT

Lawsuits over coronavirus quarantines are unlikely to succeed, experts say

Lawsuits challenging COVID-19 quarantines and restrictions on public gatherings may be doomed to failure. Experts said the government has broad powers to handle a public health crisis.

Mar 18, 2020 4:36 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: BigLaw sex bias suit may be resolved; US judiciary seeks $7M for COVID-19 impact

Secretary’s BigLaw sex bias suit apparently resolved A former legal secretary at Troutman Sanders who claimed she was sexually harassed by a partner at Troutman Sanders has apparently resolved her lawsuit. Plaintiff Jessica Correa agreed to dismiss the suit in a joint stipulation with Troutman Sanders and the partner. Correa…

Mar 18, 2020 4:06 PM CDT

Execution halted after lawyer argues it could spread coronavirus

The highest criminal appeals court in Texas delayed the execution of a Texas inmate on Monday after his lawyer argued that gathering so many people could create a risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Mar 18, 2020 10:28 AM CDT

An American health care lawyer’s perspective on the emergence of COVID-19

We knew this year was going to be an especially bad one for the flu. In its November 2019 issue, Scientific American, one of the country's leading science publications, included a twenty-page article titled "The Influenza Outlook", which highlighted the escalating threat of influenza for the year 2020. Unfortunately, at present, the emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus makes the flu pale by comparison.

Mar 18, 2020 10:12 AM CDT

A slew of federal and state courts suspend trials or close for coronavirus threat

The number of federal and state courts taking steps to thwart transmission of the novel coronavirus continues to grow. More than 25 federal district courts are pausing jury trials, following a trend that is still gaining ground in state courts.

Mar 18, 2020 9:45 AM CDT

The high demand for lawyers amid the coronavirus pandemic

From advising employers how to respond when an employee tests positive for coronavirus to counseling employees afraid of catching it at the office, lawyers are working around the clock to help clients navigate the uncharted legal waters sparked by the rapidly spreading COVID-19.

Mar 17, 2020 11:27 AM CDT

Mistrial declared after coughing, ill lawyer tries questioning witness via courthouse speakerphone

A Manhattan judge declared a mistrial Monday after an ill lawyer tried to question a witness from a speakerphone in a courthouse conference room and then acknowledged that he couldn’t continue.

Mar 17, 2020 11:15 AM CDT

County sheriff says deputies are stationed at home of man with COVID-19

The sheriff in Nelson County, Kentucky, says his deputies are stationed at the home of a man with COVID-19 to enforce a quarantine order.

Mar 17, 2020 10:05 AM CDT

Two more BigLaw employees diagnosed with COVID-19, including a partner in critical condition

Large law firms continue to grapple with the new coronavirus as employees are diagnosed with the illness. A partner with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in Louisiana was hospitalized in critical condition with COVID-19, Law.com reports. The partner, 45-year-old Mark Frilot, was put in critical care after he was…

Mar 16, 2020 6:15 PM CDT