While the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken over the news, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been active to help protect inmates and those that may be incarcerated during this period. On Wednesday, the ACLU wrote to the Justice Department and the Bureau of prisons to request the release of…
With the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), criminal justice advocates are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to release as many elderly, disabled, and medically frail inmates from Illinois prisons as possible before they may be affected by COVID-19. While the governor has been non-responsive to those activists at this point,…
The coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has cause mass hysteria and panic worldwide. Schools have been cancelled, sports leagues have suspended play, and an increasing number of people have caught the coronavirus in the United States. As of now there have been just over 1,600 cases of coronavirus nationwide, which have resulted…
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a profound effect on the criminal justice system across the country. A recent article by Samantha Melamed and Mike Newall of The Philadelphia Inquirer explained the concern of managing jail crowding and how the virus is causing concerns in the city. To gain insight into…
On March 18, 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court issued Administrative Order No 2020-2. The order will limit activities and assemblages in courthouses across the state of Michigan. To gain insight on how this will affect criminal law cases across our state, we sat down with three of the top criminal…
The world has seen unprecedented action and activity as the number of coronavirus COVID-19 cases continues to increase worldwide. It is apparent that the coronavirus spreads fairly easily between people when they are in close contact whether the person transmitting the disease has symptoms or not. There have been just…
The coronavirus outbreak has caused mass hysteria and panic worldwide. The hardest hit areas as of this writing have been in Europe and China. The effects of the virus have now hit the United States in the forms of travel bans, event size restrictions, and general disruption of every day…
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has compromised the lifestyles of all walks of life. One such population that is overlooked during these trying times are the incarcerated. A recent op-ed from Dr. Amanda Klonsky in the New York Times has brought national attention to this issue. To gain insight into how the…
The fear of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a dramatic effect on our legal system. Many counties in Michigan are adjourning jury trials until further notice. The criminal defendant who is fighting for their freedom is now faced with a challenging proposition: Will their freedom be compromised for the health…
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a dramatic effect on the Michigan criminal justice system. Governor Whitmer has declared a state of emergency, and trial courts have implemented emergency measures. One such action the Michigan Supreme Court is Administrative Order No 2020-1 to advise trial lawyers and court participants to use…