The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced Tuesday that they will release up to 3,5000 prisoners as well as take other measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 among the inmate population and the staff. One of the immediate changes is to, “expedite the transition to parole for eligible inmates who have 60 [...]
A class action suit was filed on Monday in the Northern District of California against Zoom Video Communications, Inc., claiming Zoom illegally collected and shared its users’ information with third parties. The complaint includes allegations under the California Consumer Privacy Act, California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, California Unfair Competition Law, and Art. 1, § 1 [...]
The Bureau of Federal Prisons issued an order Wednesday directing prisons to keep inmates confined in cells for a 14-day period. The directive will impact operations in all 122 federal prison facilities around the country. Bureau Director Michael Carvajal made the decision in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The large number of inmates and guards [...]
Federal judges on Monday temporarily blocked Texas, Alabama and Ohio from enforcing COVID-19 abortion bans for the duration of the lawsuits. On March 22, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order that: applies throughout the State and to all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary, including routine dermatological, ophthalmological, and dental [...]
The National Election Board of Ethiopia announced Tuesday that it would postpone Ethiopia’s upcoming general election amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The board had planned to conduct the election in August. The planned elections marked a transition towards democratic stability in Ethiopia. Ethiopia experienced a period of ethnic tension and unrest throughout 2016 and 2017. The [...]
Thirteen detainees of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency won a temporary restraining order from a Pennsylvania federal court Tuesday after complaining of the poor conditions in the facilities where they were held and their risk of contracting COVID-19. Judge John E. Jones III described the unique and fraught circumstances of the response [...]
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, issued a statement on Tuesday in response to recent measures Hungary has taken to further consolidate power in the hands of its prime minister, Viktor Orbán. While not calling out Hungary by name, the statement from the EU leader condemns exploiting emergency situations to undermine democratic [...]
The US Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced via Twitter Monday evening that hearings in non-detained immigration cases will be postponed until May 1. The EOIR said that immigration courts are open for detainee hearings, including bond hearings, where applicable. Operational status of courts nationwide are updated on the office’s website. [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania filed an emergency petition to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday seeking the release of some in the Commonwealth’s county jails—what the petition argues is a necessary measure to allow jails space to follow CDC-recommended safe social distancing practices to prepare for COVID-19. The petition asks the [...]
US Federal Communications Commission Chairman (FCC) Ajit Pai on Monday announced his plan for a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program to support health care providers responding to the ongoing pandemic. As part of the CARES Act, Congress appropriated $200 million to the FCC to support health care providers’ use of telehealth services in combating the [...]
