Face mask manufacturer 3M brought a federal lawsuit against a New Jersey-based company on Friday, claiming it used 3M trademarks to “perpetrate a false and deceptive price-gouging scheme on unwitting consumers, including agencies of government, during the global COVID-10 pandemic.” According to the 26-page complaint, Performance Supply, LLC, attempted to sell respirator masks to New [...]
New York, Connecticut and Vermont asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to consider temporarily lifting or modifying the implementation of the “public charge” rule due to concerns about COVID-19 and the president’s declaration of a national state of emergency. The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to begin enforcing the “public charge” rule in [...]
US Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) on Tuesday announced his plan to introduce legislation that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci amid criticism of Fauci from conservative outlets. The legislation will provide that any termination of a director of a national research institute or national center of the National Institutes of [...]
In a 65-page brief filed at the Supreme Court on Monday, the state of Florida raised its objections to the findings and recommendations of a Special Master, Paul Kelly, appointed to hear that state’s dispute with Georgia over the use of water in the Apalachicola River. The Special Master had recommended finding for Georgia back [...]
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp suspended an anti-mask statute Tuesday that made obtaining masks difficult. “We’ve issued guidance and orders to protect ,” said Kemp, “and we’ve taken measured steps to shield them from harm.” The law (OC GA 16-11-38) was enacted in 1951 to prevent public wearing of Ku Klux Klan hoods and other head [...]
Federal appeals courts on Tuesday affirmed temporary lower court blocks on abortion bans issued in Oklahoma and Texas amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked surgical abortions, but allowed medical abortions to continue in Texas. The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held similarly, denying the [...]
The Ministerial Meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries concluded on Sunday with an agreement to cut oil production and raise prices in an attempt to stabilize the global oil market, which has seen significant fluctuation in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement calls for significant reductions in production. ll Participating Countries agreed to [...]
Rutgers University announced on Monday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Rutgers RUCDR Infinite Biologics and its collaborators for a new saliva-based COVID-19 test. Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR, believes that the new method will allow for broader population [...]
Virginia after Governor Ralph Northam signed numerous landmark bills into law Sunday, including multiple criminal justice reform bills. House Bill 972 decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana and creates a $25 civil penalty but removes the current criminal offense classification as a misdemeanor. This will take effect July 1 if the General Assembly agrees to technical amendments [...]
Planned Parenthood and abortion providers in Texas on Sunday appealed a federal court decision to the US Supreme Court, asking the court to allow medication abortions pending a full appeal. This case arises from a March 22 executive order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that prohibits elective surgeries and medical procedures until April 21. The [...]
