Legal News

The US Supreme Court on Thursday extended the deadline to file a petition for writ of certiorari in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The new rule allows petitioners to file within 150 days of the lower court’s decision, an increase from the 90-day requirement ordinarily used. The order submitted also clarifies that subsequent time extensions [...]

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Wednesday that they will halt enforcement efforts in the US, excluding attempts to deport foreign nationals who pose a public safety risk. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, ICE has suspended immigration enforcement in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. ICE said that they will [...]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday signed a bill passed by the state assembly the same day, providing paid sick leave and family leave benefits to New York citizens who are ill or quarantined during the coronavirus pandemic. The benefits of the new law apply both to those who are sick and those in [...]

US President Donald Trump signed into law the COVID-19 bipartisan relief package on Wednesday. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides sick leave and expanded safety net spending. Another key feature of the bill is providing free testing for COVID-19. The Act provides paid sick leave for any employees asked to self-quarantine, diagnosed with COVID-19, [...]

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration would be suspending all evictions and foreclosures through the end of April to ease people’s concerns during the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, he activated the Defense Production Act, which was established in the 1950s and used during wartime. It allows the president to force American businesses [...]

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced additional economic measures on Wednesday to help Canadians affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. These measures build on actions that have been taken since the beginning of the outbreak. As part of the Canadian government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, up to $27 billion will be used in direct support [...]

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals delayed the execution of John William Hummel on Monday due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The execution was scheduled for Wednesday, but the court determined that “the execution should be stayed at the present time in light of the current health crisis and the enormous resources needed to address that [...]

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday that all member states of the Schengen Area had endorsed guidelines that provide for temporary, coordinated action to close the zone’s external border for a period of 30 days. The European Commission also identified four priorities for each EU member country: limit [...]

The US and Canada agreed Wednesday to restrict all non-essential travel at their international border in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. US President Donald Trump announced the news via Twitter, emphasizing that trade between the two nations will not be impacted. The announcement comes after a series of travel restrictions by the US government, most [...]

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday that they will announce measures to suspend resettlement travel in the coming days that will remain in place for as long as necessary. These measures come as many nations are closing their borders and have already placed holds on resettlement [...]