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SCOTUS Postpones Oral Arguments

The Supreme Court announced that it was postponing oral arguments in at least a dozen cases in light of the spread of the coronavirus, citing a prior postponement in 1918 during the Spanish Flu outbreak. There is no timeline for rescheduling the cases, which include cases involving the Fourth Amendment and the statute of limitations …

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Police Departments Try to Trick Drug Offenders Using the Coronavirus

In an attempt to go after some low hanging fruit, or perhaps as a practical joke, several police departments across the country have sent out posts on social media offering to tests methamphetamine and other drugs for the presence of coronavirus. One such post from a Florida police department advises that people who fear that …

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SCOTUS to Consider Limits on Life Sentences for Juveniles

The Supreme Court announced that it would take up the case in Jones v. Mississippi, No. 18-1259, where the defendant stabbed his grandfather to death when he was 15 years old. The Court will consider under what circumstances courts can sentence juveniles to life without parole. The defendant was sentenced to life without parole under …

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DEA Operation Project Python Results in 750 Arrests

The Justice Department announced the arrest of more than 750 individuals in the DEA-led Operation Project Python, which was charged with investigating a Mexican cartel called Jalisco New Generation Cartel. In addition to the 750 arrests, law enforcement seized over 20 kilograms of drugs and $20 million in cash. The arrests took place across Los …

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Federal Inmates & Compassionate Release in the Age of the Coronavirus

Federal inmates like Bernie Madoff and Michael Cohen have filed motions in federal court requesting their early release or placement in home confinement based on their potential exposure to the coronavirus while in the BOP’s custody. Hundreds of other low-level offenders currently serving federal time have filed similar motions. The attorneys filing these motions have …

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Mississippi Lawyers File Motion for Coronavirus Testing for Inmates

Lawyers representing inmates at a Mississippi prison in a pending federal lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Corrections filed a motion on Monday, March 16, requesting that the MDOC conduct immediate testing of all inmates and employees at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman for the coronavirus. The attorneys are also requesting that the MDOC …

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List of Federal Courts Issuing Orders on the Coronavirus

Courts across the country have limited their functions and access based on the spread of the coronavirus. The U.S. Courts website has also created a list of federal courts that have issued orders in response to the virus…

Coronavirus Quarantines and the Law: 5 Things You Need to Know

With the continued spread of the coronavirus (also known as COVID-19), quarantines are being considered as a potential way to control the spread of the virus. Quarantines can be effective, but they also create potential legal issues. Quarantines are already being rolled out in response to the coronavirus. Recently, hundreds of Americans were evacuated out of …

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