The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that a state need not adopt an incapacity test that turns on a defendant’s ability to recognize that his crime was morally wrong in order to comply with the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The case, Kahler v. Kansas, involves a man (Kahler) who was convicted of capital murder for shooting and [...]
The Federal Reserve announced on Monday it is taking several steps to enhance access to credit and liquidity for consumers, municipalities, and small and large businesses. In its statement, the Federal Reserve said, “While great uncertainty remains, it has become clear that our economy will face severe disruptions. Aggressive measures must be taken across the [...]
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the PG&E Corporation filed a motion on Friday with California bankruptcy court for a more expansive plan for reorganization to ensure that it is capable of paying its creditors in a timely fashion. New aspects to their plan include bringing in an observer to monitor the company for [...]
Senate Democrats blocked the coronavirus economic rescue package on Sunday because the package favored corporations and did not do enough to support aid individuals facing unemployment and loss of income. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was introduced by Senate Republicans on Thursday. The CARES Act was estimated to inject nearly [...]
Ohio Governor DeWine and Louisiana Governor Edwards are the most recent to issue a statewide “stay at home” order Sunday. Both states are ordering residents to stay home and only leave for essential services such as retrieving groceries or medication. These states are among multiple that have issued similar orders during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ohio’s [...]
The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked Congress to grant the US Attorney General emergency powers to ask federal judges to pause court proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic according to a POLITICO report Saturday. Federal judges already have the power to pause court proceedings in their individual courts during emergencies. However, the DOJ contends that this [...]
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES Act was introduced by Senate Republicans on Thursday in an effort to combat the economic impacts that our nations is feeling from coronavirus. The current proposal has sections providing for loan guarantees to impacted businesses, direct cash payments, increased testing, and vaccine development resources. The [...]
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin issued a notice on Friday that tax day is deferred to July 15, following President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration pursuant to the Stafford Act. In an effort to reduce the economic impact of COVID-19, the current administration is seeking ways to mitigate the damage. The administration already introduced [...]
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order on Thursday, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. The order went into effect Thursday and will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Newsom announced his enforcement will be a “social contract” agreement where people self-regulate behavior. The order explains that residents should only leave their [...]
US President Donald Trump took official measures Friday to prevent further outbreak of COVID-19 by restricting the southern border of the US. Trump said that the US and Mexico have agreed to temporarily restrict nonessential travel across their shared border in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. These restrictions, which will begin on [...]
