Legal News

Canada gave royal assent to an emergency wage bill Saturday evening, giving relief to many Canadian workers and businesses adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The $73 billion package enables private companies, non-profits, and charities to apply for government assistance to subsidize paychecks to employees. To qualify, entities must prove a reduction of revenue of [...]

The Prosecutor General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, announced that Russia will take additional steps to limit the spread of misinformation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. “The placement of unreliable, socially significant information disseminated under the guise of reliable information, has been revealed, which pose a threat to public safety,” Krasnov’s office said in a statement. [...]

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill on Friday repealing multiple restrictions related to abortion access. The Reproductive Health Protection Act will allow nurse practitioners who are jointly licensed by the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to perform first trimester abortions, thereby expanding the number of persons who can perform such abortions. The [...]

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf issued an executive order on Friday authorizing the temporary reprieve of some incarcerated individuals to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within state prisons. The order will apply to non-violent inmates eligible for release within the next nine months, as well as inmates considered to be high risk for complications due to [...]

Utah Governor Gary Herbert issued an executive order on Thursday that requires adults entering the state to disclose their travel plans. This is part of the state’s continued efforts to track and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Individuals 18 years or older will have to fill out a travel declaration form that they receive via [...]

The National Assembly of Cambodia passed a state of emergency bill on Friday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill is now being sent to the Senate. The bill passed in the lower house by 115 votes in favor and 10 abstentions. Justice Minister Koeut Rith wrote an initial draft of the bill and later added [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin filed suit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday, seeking the release of the elderly and vulnerable from state prisons to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two incarcerated individuals with pre-existing conditions, state criminal defense lawyers and Disability Rights Wisconsin. [...]

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday in his remarks to the Security Council that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens global peace. “In some conflict settings, the uncertainty created by the pandemic may create incentives for some actors to promote further division and turmoil,” Guterres stated. “This could lead to an escalation of violence and possibly devastating [...]

Several gun rights groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts that challenges the decision of Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker to close all businesses selling firearms and ammunition to the public. Baker issued COVID-19 Order No. 13 on March 23, which closed the physical workplaces of all [...]

The Swiss government announced Thursday that it will look at temporarily amending its bankruptcy laws during the coronavirus crisis to help companies that have encountered cash-flow problems and mounting debt. The government warned on Wednesday that the Swiss economy could shrink as much as 10.4 percent this year. Justice minister Karin Keller-Sutter said that companies [...]