The California Court of Appeal First Appellate District has ordered San Quentin State Prison (SQ) to reduce its population by half. The move is intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Tuesday order follows a writ of habeas corpus filed by Ivan Von Staich, an inmate in the prison. Staich, 64, suffers from respiratory problems. [...]

Several separate lawsuits have been filed in opposition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule and Department of Labor (DOL) rule on H-IB visas, both announced by the Trump administration on October 8. The DHS rule, set to become effective December 7, sets out revisions and clarifications to the regulatory definition and standards of [...]

Judge James Babler of the Barron County Circuit Court in Wisconsin Monday reinstated Governor Tony Evers’s emergency order setting in place precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19 as Wisconsin experiences a surge in new cases. Judge Babler denied the Tavern League of Wisconsin’s motion to continue blocking the order, originally issued on October 6. [...]

A US district court judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction Friday from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to exempt its parishes from New York state’s restrictions on religious gatherings in coronavirus hotspots. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s public health order on October 6 shut down non-essential businesses and placed restrictions on gatherings [...]

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling Thursday denying an extension to Arizona’s mail-in ballot deadline for members of the Navajo Nation. Six members of the Navajo tribe filed the lawsuit in the federal district court for the district of Arizona on August 26, alleging that Arizona’s requirement that mail-in ballots be [...]

A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Wednesday that Texas federal courts potentially have the authority to change the election policy allowing poll workers to forgo wearing facial coverings. A Texas voting rights group originally brought the lawsuit against Governor Greg Abbott in July. The group argued that Texas’ [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a district court injunction on Tuesday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requiring safer conditions to protect detained immigrants from COVID-19. The Ninth Circuit held that the district court is permitted to offer injunctive relief “to remedy unconstitutional conditions of confinement.” The court stated that [...]

A Florida appeals court on Friday overturned the trial court’s ruling in favor of Florida teachers challenging the order that they argued “forced” school districts to reopen. The court held that the union’s case was not strong enough to qualify for the injunction issued by the trial court and that the trial court “exceeded the [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Tuesday for Iran to release jailed human rights defenders, lawyers and political prisoners, citing COVID-19 concerns. Iran is the country worst-affected by the pandemic in the region, and conditions in prisons create a breeding ground for the virus. The prisons have a history of being overcrowded and [...]

The US Supreme Court on Thursday declined to act on a request from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reinstate federal regulations requiring patients seeking abortion-inducing pills to pick up the medication in-person at the hospital or clinic, instead of receiving them by mail or delivery. A federal judge blocked the FDA’s requirements [...]