Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing this collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to the novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the legal community.
Important links
State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Legal Resources Page — Texasbar.com/coronavirus
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Well-being Resources page — Texasbar.com/remote-well-being
Plaintiffs, defense lawyers ask Texas Supreme Court to tweak COVID-19 limitations order — They want the high court to make one statute of limitations rule for the entire state. The coalition in the letter includes presidents of the State Bar of Texas, the bar’s litigation section, and bar associations in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. — (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer
How to practice law remotely and efficiently during the COVID-19 crisis (podcast) — The ABA Journal’s Asked and Answered podcast is sharing information with lawyers about how they can adjust to the world’s current situation—such as having to work from home, whether they want to or not. — ABA Journal
Thousands less: These numbers show how COVID-19 affected Texas courts, lawyers — An analysis of civil filings in Texas state courts shows that the number of filings has dropped steadily each week during the month of March, as the coronavirus has spread across the Lone Star State. (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer
TLAP to present Remote Well-Being Wednesdays in April — The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s “Remote Well-Being Wednesdays: A Coronavirus Series” will take place weekly through April 15, offering attorneys a resource for tending to their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. — Texas Bar Blog
Pay cuts, layoffs, lower partner distributions part of BigLaw response to COVID-19 impact — The economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic is hitting BigLaw. — ABA Journal
Texas begins patrols near Louisiana, but enforcement unclear — Texas extending a mandatory self-quarantine to drivers crossing over from neighboring Louisiana began Monday with few clear signs of how the order was being enforced as traffic moved freely across state lines. — The Associated Press
3 pastors petition state Supreme Court to declare Harris County stay-at-home order unconstitutional — A petition was filed with the Texas Supreme Court on Monday arguing that Harris County’s stay-at-home order, which closed churches and limited worship services to video or teleconference calls, violates the First Amendment. — KPRC – Houston
Civil rights & liberties in the age of COVID-19 (video) — Ryan Brown, partner at Blackburn & Brown in Amarillo, says you should assert your rights when interacting with police. — KVII – Amarillo
Older inmates sue Texas prison system over coronavirus policies and practices — The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s measures to combat the new coronavirus are insufficient at a geriatric prison, the complaint said. — The Texas Tribune
Opinion: Defending the indigent during COVID-19 and beyond — Zachary Morris has spent almost the past decade advocating and litigating cases for the criminally accused in Texas. — Texas Bar Blog
Judge says US failed to promptly release detained immigrant children from ‘hotbeds for contagion’ — A federal judge in Los Angeles has found that the federal government failed to promptly release immigrant children from detention facilities that are “hotbeds for contagion.” — ABA Journal
Under coronavirus immigration measures, US is expelling border-crossers to Mexico in an average of 96 minutes — The pandemic has allowed the U.S. Border Patrol to implement the kind of rapid-fire deportation system President Donald Trump has long extolled as his preferred approach. — The Texas Tribune
DACA recipients ask Supreme Court to consider their work in fight against coronavirus — Undocumented immigrants who work as health care providers are asking for their efforts fighting the coronavirus to be taken into consideration as the Supreme Court considers the the Trump administration’s bid to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. — CNNt
Federal judge temporarily blocks Texas ban on abortions during coronavirus spread — A federal judge in Austin ruled Monday that state officials can’t restrict abortion providers from offering the procedure to their patients. — KUT – Austin
Federal judge stops Dallas from enforcing ordinance that requires paid sick leave — Activists say the decision leaves workers without a much-needed benefit as the coronavirus spreads. — The Dallas Morning News
Anthony R. Chase to co-chair Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund — Anthony R. Chase, an associate professor of law and business at the University of Houston Law Center, will serve as co-chair on the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund. — Texas Bar Blog
California law students push to skip bar exam during pandemic — Dozens of anxious law students flooded an emergency phone meeting of the California Committee of Bar Examiners on Monday to beg for automatic admission to the bar rather than face the uncertainty of a postponed exam. — Courthouse News Service
Law Library of Congress: Ask-A-Librarian is available! — It’s free, it’s available to law professors, law students, and other researchers all around the globe. — Legal Writing Prof blog
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