WHAT'S BREWING
SCOTUS LEAVES IN PLACE VOTING RESTRICTIONS ON FORMER FELONS The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a setback to convicted felons in Florida who hope to cast votes in the Nov. 3 presidential election, leaving in place a lower court’s order that placed their voting rights in limbo. The justices declined to set aside an order by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that effectively halted the voter registration of former felons in Florida who cannot afford to pay fines or fees mandated by state law. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan dissented. [Reuters]
VIRGINIA ENACTS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND REGULATION IN COVID-19 FIGHT Virginia leaders approved a new set of rules to protect workers during the pandemic. Employers must follow social-distancing guidelines and provide masks to workers who deal with customers. In workplaces where it isn’t possible to spread out, employers will have to provide hand sanitizer or access to sinks, and regularly clean work surfaces. Employers must notify workers within 24 hours when a co-worker has tested positive for COVID-19. Anyone believed to have the virus must stay off the job for at least 10 days, or until they’ve tested negative two times. [HuffPost]
GEORGIA GOV. SUES ATLANTA MAYOR TO BLOCK MASK MANDATE Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta’s mayor and city council to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public. Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr argue that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has overstepped her authority and must obey Kemp’s executive orders under state law. “Governor Kemp must be allowed, as the chief executive of this state, to manage the public health emergency without Mayor Bottoms issuing void and unenforceable orders,” the lawsuit states. [HuffPost]
TOP DEMOCRATS TELL LAWMAKERS TO AVOID CONVENTION Democratic leaders have told congressional lawmakers and party delegates to skip the Democratic National Convention set to take place next month amid mounting concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The convention, set to take place from Aug. 17 to 20 in Milwaukee, will be a shell of what officials had hoped for, even after it was delayed for more than a month. Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee, will still appear to deliver a keynote speech and accept the nomination, as will a few other party leaders. [HuffPost]
EVANGELICAL CHURCHES SUE OVER SINGING BAN Three California churches are suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over his attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19 by banning singing at houses of worship. The evangelical congregations insist Newsom is infringing on their religious liberty by forcing them to stop singing and chanting during indoor services, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento. “To prohibit group singing and chanting is to effectively prohibit corporate Christian worship,” the complaint states. [HuffPost] | 
