COVID-19 and Law Coalition

COVID-19: Health Law Resources 
Tara Sklar and Christopher Robertson

This webpage features the COVID-19 Video Series, with interviews with a variety of experts on a wide range of health law and public health issues. Additional resources and commentary are also provided, and ideas, comments and questions are welcomed.

"Law and Telemedicine in the Time of COVID-19"
Tara Sklar

In this article for the Arizona Telemedicine Program, Tara Sklar discusses how the "long-awaited promise of telemedicine may finally be realized as a response to Covid-19." She goes on to discuss "three major legal barriers in federal and state laws that were inhibiting telemedicine utilization" identified by her and Professor Christopher Robertson in the Fall of 2019.

"Slowing the Spread, Businesses Reopen, Pandemic's Economic Impact" 
Tara Sklar

In this episode of Arizona Public Media's "Arizona 360," Tara Sklar is interviewed about the legal basis for precautions being adopted by companies and institutions, such as the requirement of face masks and temperature checks.

Generous — and inclusive — sick leave is a must for any business that wants to reopen safely
Andrew Coan and Dr. Marvin Slepian

In this op-ed for Business Insider, Professor Andrew Coan and 2L and Professor of Medicine Marvin Slepian write that, "When infected employees are forced to report to work by financial necessity, everyone loses." They go on to outline the five essential features any effective sick leave policy must contain.

Practice in Place: Law and Justice Go Viral
Susan Salmon and the Legal Writing Program

This new podcast produced by University of Arizona Law's Legal Writing program and hosted by Professor Susan Salmon asks the question: How does a profession governed by precedent respond to the unprecedented? "Practice in Place" investigates how the practice of law and the administration of justice have adapted under the abrupt constraints of the COVID-19 era, how that has affected how and whether we achieve justice, and how those changes and that experience might or should change the practice, the profession, and its procedures forever. 

"Moot Court in the Age of Coronavirus"
Tessa Dysart

Tessa Dysart writes on the Appellate Advocacy Blog, "In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Arizona Law decided to move [the] 2L/3L intramural moot court competition online." This blog post provides "tips for creating the competition and for running the rounds" on Zoom from the moot court competition.

"Guest Post: Zoom Arguments - Zoom Arguments--A View from the Texas Supreme Court" 
Tessa Dysart (Editor)

As editor of the Appellate Advocacy Blog, Tessa Dysart welcomed Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman to share her thoughts on the experience of her court holding arguments via Zoom.

"My Final Thoughts on Moot Court in the Age of Coronavirus" 
Tessa Dysart

Based on two previous Appellate Advocacy Blog posts, "and a few other things I learned along the way," Dysart shares her "final thoughts and tips on virtual moot court competitions, in case we are all doing this again in the fall." 

Innovation for Justice
Stacy Rupprecht Jane

The Innovation for Justice (i4J) program at University of Arizona Law is a social justice innovation lab that designs, builds and tests disruptive solutions to the justice gap. As one of 10 legal innovation labs in the country, the program is hearing from courts and legal service providers from across the U.S. who want help. Legal systems are grappling with the sudden and unexpected fact that they need to operate remotely and online: court forms and processes need to be automated, low-income community members need remote assistance, and creative thinkers and doers are in high demand. To that end, the program is forming Team i4J for students, faculty and staff who want to contribute their time and talent now and in the months to come.

"How to Defend Yourself from COVID-19 Myths and Lies"
Jane Bambauer

In this Futurity article, Jane Bambauer shares her thoughts on misinformation about COVID-19. Bambauer is studying why the COVID-19 crisis is particularly suited to breeding bad information.

"It's Time to Get Real About COVID Apps"
Jane Bambauer

Published as part of ongoing work by a multi-university group called "Fighting COVID with Data," this article examines the role that apps play in combating COVID-19. "Digital technologies can and should be an integral tool to magnify the benefits of ramped-up testing and manual contact tracing," the paper states. "Moreover, policymakers should start preparing for the rollout of a data-driven COVID response now. As was the case with lockdowns, delays will add to both the health and economic tolls."


Workers' Rights Clinic
Shefali Milczarek-Desai

The Workers' Rights Clinic provides students with experience in employment/labor law and workers' rights and advocates for the rights of low-wage immigrant workers through direct service, public policy research, and community education and outreach. Among other resources, the clinic created the "AZ Workers' Rights During Coronavirus" ​fact-sheet (in English and Spanish).

"Lawmakers Request Investigation Into Pima County's New Restaurant Regulations"
Shefali Milczarek-Desai

In this news segment, Shefali Milczarek-Desai speaks to the validity of new restaurant regulations passed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors under guidelines issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.

"UA Law Prof: The Other Front Line: Immigrant Workers, Nursing Homes and COVID-19"
Shefali Milczarek-Desai

In this opinion piece, Milczarek-Desai writes about the challenges that immigrants working in nursing homes face during the COVID-19 epidemic. Milczarek-Desai writes that they are "situated at one of the deadliest intersections of America’s coronavirus pandemic: low-wage immigrant workers and elder care" and how they are under threat from both the risks of the virus and fears of being reported to ICE, potentially resulting in deportation or unemployment. 

"Antitrust in the Shadow of Market Disruptions"
Barak Y. Orbach

In this Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper, Barak Orbach writes, "Large-scale market disruptions are recurring costly phenomena whose costs can be considerably mitigated through investments in preparedness and response measures. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, this paper discusses common characteristics and levers of large-scale disruptions that courts and competition agencies should consider when interpreting the antitrust laws in normal times and periods of disruption. Antitrust enforcement is neither the cause of nor the solution to costly disruptions; rather, it is a policy instrument whose existence and effectiveness affect the costs of preparedness and response measures. Reasonably adequate antitrust enforcement standards are likely to drive down prices of products and services needed for such measures. The Covid-19 pandemic sheds light on these potential benefits of antitrust enforcement, as well as on the pervasive unwillingness to invest in sound public policies."