On June 3, 2020, the Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, H.R. 7010. The bill received bipartisan support in the House with a 417-1 vote. The bill attempts to ease restrictions on small businesses that seek loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), a CARES Act initative. The initial $350 billion in [...]
Legal Commentary
I am so pissed off. It is COVID-19 State Insanity to use riot-control agents such as teargas and pepper spray on peaceful protestors in a pandemic with highly contagious and deadly COVID-19. Let me break it down. Remember the protestors with guns walking into statehouses and protesting the stay at home orders? Do you remember a single [...]
1. There’s something happening here; What it is ain’t exactly clear On Sunday, May 31, 2020, I posted on my Facebook that we should expect the repression to come soon. And almost like predictable clockwork, the repression started the next day. We can note the teargassing and flash grenading of peaceful demonstrators and international press [...]
The coronavirus pandemic has affected a lot of citizens: migrant workers, laborers, corporate job-holders and many more. However, what does it entail for the transgender community? There is a heightened responsibility on the government to grapple this issue where millions are affected. While the new labor laws are the talk of the town, the issue [...]
If any mental picture is evoked by the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision invalidating the State’s COVID-19-era stay-at-home/business-closure Order (Wisconsin Legislature v. Palm, et. al.) it’s probably of unrestrained partying — without masks and social-distancing — engaged in by less-risk-averse residents when unexpectedly freed of the Order’s constraints. That’s certainly one vivid takeaway from the case. [...]
In early May the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the Wisconsin Governor’s extension of the state’s stay-at-home order was an unlawful overstep of his authority. The Republican legislature had filed suit because they believed that extending the stay-at-home order would hurt many of the businesses in the state. At the same time, across the country, white Americans [...]
Disinformation occurs when false information is sent with an intention to deceive, while misinformation occurs when false information is sent without an intention to deceive. This commentary notes that tardy official communication of policy promotes disinformation and misinformation. Further disinformation can arise from a lack of opportunities for public participation in policymaking. Resolving these problems [...]
As recently reported, with the reopening of the New York Stock Exchanges, persons on the floor are required to sign what is called a COVID-19 waiver. The text of such a waiver is unclear but its effect pernicious. For a person who has a contract already, the waiver amounts to a modification of the contract. [...]
One of the focal points of the government health response to COVID-19 in India has been the extensive use of mobile phone applications such as the Aarogya Setu for contact tracing and quarantine. The applications have already been subject to widespread criticism for insufficient protection of user data. Notwithstanding the role of mobile phone applications, [...]
Below is a letter I sent to Speaker Pelosi on Friday, May 29 in response to a May 28 letter of the American Council on Education (ACE) seeking COVID-19 Limited Liability Protections that I found appalling. None of the other Congressional leaders had an e-mail that non-constituents can use so I have sent the letter [...]