Ten Democratic Senators have delivered a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to support temporarily waiving intellectual property (IP) rights for COVID-19 vaccines. The letter, delivered Thursday, claims that granting the temporary patent waiver would allow for countries to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines locally and increase vaccination rates in poorer nations, as well as [...]

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the Department of Health Services (DHS) lacked authority to limit capacities for indoor public gatherings. DHS issued Emergency Order 3 in October in response to COVID-19, which “limited the size of indoor public gatherings either to 25 percent of a facility’s permitted capacity or, if no general [...]

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock on Monday announced that the agency will allow abortion pills by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic—a departure from a Trump-era rule requiring patients to go in-person to a medical clinic or hospital. Woodcock’s communication came via a letter sent to two leading non-profit organizations representing [...]

The US Supreme Court on Friday granted a petition to put restrictions on in-home bible study and prayer meetings on hold. The plaintiffs sought an injunction last December against a California restriction on the allowable size for indoor gatherings. The restrictions were instituted last year to slow the spread of COVID-19. After a judge for [...]

The European Court of Human Rights issued judgment on Thursday that mandatory vaccinations of children under the Czech Republic’s health policy do not violate Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. The policy, mandated by section 46 of the Public Health Protection Act, requires long-term residents to undergo routine vaccinations covered by public [...]

The UK House of Lords’ Select Committee on the Constitution published a report that found the backlog of cases in the Crown Court to have reached “crisis levels.” While the backlog was significant before COVID-19 interrupted the usual operations of the justice system, the pandemic was found to have increased it to reach “crisis levels.” According [...]

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a blow to Democratic governor Tony Evers when it struck down his statewide mask mandate. Under state law, the governor can declare a state of emergency for 60 days, after which it can only be extended by a joint resolution by the state legislature. The legislature can also, [...]

A Texas district judge denied the Texas attorney general’s request for a temporary injunction against the city of Austin’s mask mandate on Friday. The denial is another setback for Ken Paxton, who filed suit against the city on March 11 for not complying with the governor’s order ending the state’s COVID-19 mask mandate. City and [...]

Caesars Entertainment, one of the largest gaming companies in the United States owning more than 50 properties globally, sued more than 36 of its insurers on Monday in US federal court in the District of Nevada. The complaint alleges that each of the named insurers provided “all risk” coverage to Caesars Entertainment but have not [...]

The Malaysian government enacted Thursday an anti-fake-news law that aims to counter Covid-19 misinformation. The Malaysian King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) has declared a state of emergency for the country, lasting until August. The law was enacted through an executive authority by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, which does not require any Parliamentary procedures. The law is [...]