| Volume 143 Number 56 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Kids love to play video games — in apps, on mobile devices and online with friends. And when kids play games, it is unlawful to collect their personal information without parental consent. Click here for more.
In a stunning surprise, the economy added 2.5 million jobs last month
In a report that turned conventional wisdom on its ear, the Labor Department says the economy actually added jobs in May after millions of people were laid off in April.
Total nonfarm payrolls increased by 2.5 million last month as the unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent. Some Wall Street estimates put the May unemployment rate at 20 percent.
It was rehiring in leisure and hospitality businesses, devastated by quarantines across the country, that helped lead the unexpected resurgence. But there was also very heavy hiring in construction, education, health services, and retail trade. By contrast, employment in government continued to decline sharply. Click here for more.
Your Money
Record-low mortgage rates have many homeowners looking to refinance. If you're planning to join their ranks, make sure you understand the process. This step-by-step breakdown explains how refinancing a mortgage works. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Fifth Circuit stays mail-in voting order. The Fifth Circuit upended a district court order won by Texas Democrats that directed the Lone Star State to allow all voters to use mail-in ballots, with the appeals panel saying the lower court's decision "will be remembered more for audacity than legal reasoning." The opinion slammed the May 19 order by a Western District of Texas judge overseeing a case in which the Texas Democratic Party asked the federal court to help determine what elections will look like during the coronavirus pandemic. The court stated: "In an order that will be remembered more for audacity than legal reasoning, the district judge intervenes just weeks before an election, entering a sweeping preliminary injunction that requires state officials, inter alia, to distribute mail-in ballots to any eligible voter who wants one," "But because the spread of the virus has not given 'unelected federal jud[ges]' a roving commission to rewrite state election codes, we stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal." Texas Democratic Party et al. v. Abbott et al., case number 20-50407, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Click here for more.