Court refuses for now to block release of prisoners due to COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down an appeal from Trump administration lawyers who sought to preemptively block the release of any inmates from an Ohio prison who were at high risk for COVID-19.
Over dissents from three conservatives, the court said it would not intervene for now.
But the court left the door open for the administration to appeal again if and when the federal judge presiding over the case decides to require the release of certain inmates.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch said they voted to grant the administration’s appeal.
A federal judge in Cleveland had ordered the warden of a low-security prison to consider sending home, releasing or transferring some of the 837 inmates who were over age 65 or had medical conditions that put them at high risk.
Last week, Solicitor General Noel Francisco urged the justices to intervene in the Ohio prison case, Williams vs. Wilson.
“The government is currently facing numerous suits challenging conditions of confinement in federal prisons across the nation,” he said, contending the prisoners’ lawyers are seeking to require the wholesale release of inmates from low-security prisons by imposing “a constitutional 6-feet-at-all-times rule” for social distancing.
The American Civil Liberties Union said it would be “a tremendous mistake” for the court to intervene.
The Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in northeast Ohio has been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak. By early May, nine inmates had died, and one in four of those tested were positive.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of four inmates alleged that the conditions were inhumane and unconstitutional, with 2,500 inmates housed in cramped dormitory-style facilities, and crowded together when they slept, ate or bathed.
— Los Angeles Times
California allows many more retail stores to reopen
LOS ANGELES — California health officials said Monday that subject to approval by county public health departments, all retail stores can reopen for in-store shopping under previously issued guidelines.
The existing guidance for retailers, which previously applied just to those counties approved for wider reopening, now applies statewide. Retail can open for in-store shopping throughout California. Retail does not include personal services such as hair salons, nail salons and barbershops.
It marks the latest move to slowly reopen California’s economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Some officials had been pushing for the move, hoping to give small businesses the same playing field as big chains.
“Thank you, Governor Newsom. As we continue to battle this virus, this policy will make all the difference to the small businesses in our communities that are struggling to survive this crisis,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn on Twitter Monday.
It was unclear Monday whether L.A. County health officials would adjust their reopening guidelines in light of the state’s declaration.
California also released new coronavirus health guidance for religious services on Monday, saying houses of worship must limit total attendance to 25% of a building’s capacity and stop passing around offering plates, in addition to taking other precautions.
The 13-page document, released by the California Department of Public Health and Cal/OSHA, does not obligate churches, mosques, temples and other houses of worship to resume in-person activity, officials said.
In fact, state health authorities strongly recommend that places of worship “continue to facilitate remote services and other related activities for those who are vulnerable to COVID19 including older adults and those with co-morbidities.”
— Los Angeles Times
Cuomo: New York is ready to ‘supercharge’ reopening
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it’s time to “supercharge” the economy as New York emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.
Hours after ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday morning, welcoming traders back to the floor since it closed two months ago, the governor turned his attention to the state’s economic future.
“We want that economy to come roaring back, and that’s not going to happen just by wishing it to be so,” Cuomo said. “I don’t believe the economy just bounces back. I believe it bounces back, but it bounces back differently.”
The governor will travel to Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Donald Trump to talk about infrastructure projects and other ways to jump start the economy.
Another 73 New Yorkers died Monday from COVID-19, the governor said.
“Number of lives lost, 73, that’s the lowest it’s been since this all started,” he said. “In this absurd new reality, that is good news.”
New confirmed coronavirus cases dropped to just about 200, also at the lowest level since early March.
— New York Daily News
RNC 2020: North Carolina says GOP needs pandemic plan with ‘several scenarios’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Prompted by President Donald Trump’s threat to pull the Republican National Convention from Charlotte unless “full attendance” was allowed, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen requested a written COVID-19 safety plan from the CEO of the Republican National Convention Monday.
In a letter obtained by The Charlotte Observer, Cohen wrote to CEO Marcia Kelly that “we look forward to continuing to work with you and your team to ensure a safe RNC,” and there must be “several scenarios planned that can be deployed depending on the public health situation.”
Gov. Roy Cooper and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles have not said definitively whether or not the convention will be held in August, instead insisting that data and science will govern their decisions on whether or not the RNC will go forward. Cohen’s letter is the clearest sign yet that the state is seriously planning for an in-person convention in Charlotte in August.
Before the pandemic, the RNC was expected to draw 50,000 people to Charlotte. Currently, under the second phase of Cooper’s reopening plan, the size of indoor gatherings is capped at 10 people.
Unless “full attendance” is allowed, Trump wrote on Twitter Monday, “we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site.”
It appears that Trump’s comments were a jolt to the ongoing negotiations between state officials and Republicans. On Friday, Cooper, Cohen, Kelly and Cooper aide Jordan Whichard spoke by phone to discuss the convention, according to the letter. When Trump tweeted his threat Monday, the president shared “an accelerated decision-making timeline,” Cohen wrote. An RNC spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear if Trump’s comments were serious, meaning that he would like a full convention in Charlotte or no convention in Charlotte, or merely posturing for the negotiations between North Carolina and Republicans. Cohen’s letter said that she was scheduled to speak with Jeff Runge, the convention’s health and safety adviser, early Tuesday.
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 at the Spectrum Center. Organizers are scheduled to take over the stadium mid-July for an extensive rebuilding of the venue, including raising the floor of the arena.
— The Charlotte Observer
Johnson fights to save top aide but lockdown row deepens
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing his most serious political crisis since his election victory last year, with politicians from all sides including his own demanding the resignation of his top aide over claims he breached lockdown rules.
Johnson put his own authority on the line to back Dominic Cummings, his most powerful adviser, who is under attack for his decision to travel more than 250 miles to seek care for his 4-year-old child at a time when the official advice was to “stay home.” The premier said that while he understood the confusion and dismay over the episode, Cummings’s actions were “sensible and defensible.”
Johnson’s office confirmed Cummings will make a statement to reporters and take questions at 4 p.m. in the prime minister’s rose garden at 10 Downing Street.
But Johnson’s response did little to end the controversy. Monday’s national newspapers made grim reading for the premier, with even the normally Tory-supporting Daily Mail’s front page asking “What Planet Are They On?” Meanwhile, a growing number of politicians, including more than a dozen of Johnson’s own Conservatives, said Cummings must lose his job, with many warning of mounting anger from voters.
Conservative Tim Loughton said Johnson’s defense of the aide was not good enough. He told BBC radio on Monday that he had been “swamped” by emails from constituents about Cummings. “What I wanted to hear was a proper justification of why what Dominic Cummings did was fine,” Loughton said. “I fear I didn’t get that and what’s more worrying is my constituents didn’t get that.” Sixteen Tory lawmakers have called publicly for Cummings to go.
The leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said Johnson’s decision was an insult to the sacrifices made by the British people since the country went into lockdown in late March.
“This was a test of the prime minister and he has failed it,” Starmer said. “The prime minister’s actions have undermined confidence in his own public health message at this crucial time.”
— Bloomberg News
