Legal News

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 [...]

Iran has temporarily released about 85,000 prisoners from jail as part of their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said about half of those released were political prisoners. Today’s mass release follows the release of some 70,000 prisoners on March 9, none of whom were political prisoners. In response to the earlier [...]

The US House of Representatives passed a revised version of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Monday with unanimous consent. The resolution will now be sent to the Senate to be considered for a vote as the government attempts to manage the COVID-19 outbreak. The revised emergency coronavirus relief package outlined technical corrections to the [...]

The Ohio Department of Health on Monday ordered that all polling locations close on Tuesday amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, enacted this order to “avoid the imminent threat” of COVID-19 as the virus poses a “significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in [...]

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared a statewide judicial emergency on Monday due to the outbreak of COVID-19. County president judges are now able to declare judicial emergencies in their counties, which allows them to use technology to conduct court proceedings or temporarily close their doors. The Court deems it necessary for the Pennsylvania Judiciary to [...]

Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group for the US airline industry, on Monday asked for nearly $60 billion in direct assistance and loan guarantees as airlines worldwide struggle amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread. A4A stated that because the current economic environment is simply not sustainable, and the crisis does not appear to have [...]

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf extended his shutdown order on Monday to nonessential businesses in all 67 counties, which began at midnight and will remain in effect for two weeks. “Ensuring the health and safety of Pennsylvanians is the highest priority as the state grapples with a growing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, and as [...]

The Trump administration issued updated guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a press conference on Monday. The new recommended measures include avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, engaging in distance learning when possible, avoiding discretionary travel, and avoiding bars, restaurants and public food courts. State Department health official Dr. [...]