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

State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Public Resources Page — Texasbar.com/COVIDHelp

Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Well-being Resources page — Texasbar.com/remote-well-being

The jury and the screen: Judges, lawyers reflect on Texas’ experimental Zoom jury trial — “I can’t think of any other time—other than a global pandemic—that we would be able to make that happen that quickly,” Judge Emily Miskel said. (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer

Texas Supreme Court hears arguments in vote by mail case (audio) — At issue: whether election officials in Harris County and elsewhere broke the law by telling voters fear of contracting COVID-19 was a valid reason for requesting an absentee ballot. — Houston Public Media

Coronavirus throws Texas Supreme Court justices into the spotlight — and into Democrats’ crosshairs — In a year when four justices face reelection, the all-Republican high court has made a slate of controversy-generating decisions, including lifting a moratorium on evictions and — for now — limiting voting by mail in this year’s elections. — The Texas Tribune

Quick verdicts from special judges under Chapter 151 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code: A tool to combat COVID-19 related backlogs in Texas trial courts — Chapter 151 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, titled Trial by Special Judge, provides an invaluable mechanism to ease the looming backlog in district courts. (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer

Commentary: Why this lawyer increased his fees during the COVID-19 pandemic — “I’m going to have to lower my fees.” This thought hovered in my mind as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. I suspect many lawyers had this exact thought about their own practices. — ABA Journal

Texas family files federal wrongful death lawsuit against Tyson Foods after COVID-19 death — A federal wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Tyson Foods Inc. after a woman suffered a work-related injury, contracted COVID-19 and died. — KPRC – Houston

Privacy and accuracy concerns about remote temperature screening raised by ACLU — Devices designed to measure a person’s temperature from afar have been touted as a way to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the claims may be unrealistic, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. — ABA Journal

Journalists challenge Puerto Rico’s ‘fake news’ law — Two journalists claim a Puerto Rican law, which makes it a crime to create a false alarm during a state of emergency, is so vague that it could be used to prosecute reporters for breaking news stories about the coronavirus outbreak. — Courthouse News Service

Immigrants work essential jobs on front lines of coronavirus crisis — Of the estimated 411,000 immigrants in the U.S. with temporary protected status, more than 130,000 are essential workers of businesses that have stayed open during the pandemic. — Courthouse News Service

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