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Cannabis
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June 25, 2025
Mass. Atty Gets 18 Mos. For 'Greed' In Pot Shop Bribery Plot
A Massachusetts lawyer, whose conviction for attempting to bribe a police chief to endorse his client's retail cannabis license application had been partly reversed at the First Circuit, was re-sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison by a federal judge who said the attorney should have known better.
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June 25, 2025
Curaleaf Says Class Cert. Wrong For Budtenders' Tips Suit
Curaleaf Inc. is urging a Maryland federal court to deny conditional class certification to a class of budtenders who allege the company illegally shares tips with store leads, arguing that they haven't shown any common policy or practice among its dispensaries that warrants class treatment.
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June 24, 2025
Wash. Smoke Shop Settles Store Name TM Suit
A Washington smoke chain has agreed to end claims against several rivals it accused of trademark infringement after they allegedly engaged in unauthorized use of its name, Smoke City, so they could trade on the goodwill it had developed with customers.
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June 24, 2025
Mich. Pot Shops Cut Constitutional Claims In License Fee Suit
A group of pot shops agreed Monday to drop their constitutional claims alleging Grand Rapids' marijuana licensure program imposes illegal fees, a few days after a Michigan federal judge said the case belongs in her court because the pot companies' claims had federal interest.
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June 24, 2025
8th Circ. Rolls Back Block On Arkansas Hemp Law
An Eighth Circuit panel on Tuesday overturned a lower district judge's decision blocking enforcement of a new Arkansas policy restricting hemp-derived intoxicating products, delivering a blow to the hemp industry's campaign to challenge state-led efforts to rein in its wares.
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June 24, 2025
Medical Pot Backers Urge Neb. High Court To Scrap Challenge
The campaign behind a successful effort to decriminalize and regulate medical marijuana in Nebraska is urging the state's highest court not to revive a legal challenge backed by state officials seeking to void the voter-approved legalization policies.
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June 24, 2025
Pot Dispatcher Can't Upend Co-Worker's $400K Wage Deal
A California appeals court has upheld a $400,000 wage-and-hour settlement between a cannabis delivery driver and The Highest Craft LLC, finding that a dispatcher whose claims are also covered under the settlement failed to show the deal was unfair or insufficiently investigated.
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June 23, 2025
GOP Plan For Merging Agencies Faces Reckoning, And Alarm
The Senate parliamentarian has given a thumbs-down to a Republican budget proposal that would allow President Donald Trump to unilaterally eliminate agencies through mergers and consolidation, adding to what experts say are a host of problems with the little-noticed provision.
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June 23, 2025
Samsung Back On Hook To Pay $10M Over Exploding Battery
Samsung Electronics America Inc. is back on the hook for a $10 million default judgment won by a Georgia man who alleged one of its batteries exploded in his e-cigarette, after a state appellate panel said Monday a trial court wrongly found the suit should have been filed in a different county.
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June 23, 2025
Ex-CEO Of CBD Water Co. Must Face Pump-And-Dump Case
The former CEO of a cannabis-infused water company and a stockholder must face all claims made in a federal indictment accusing them of artificially inflating company shares so they could sell them for a profit, an Ohio federal judge ruled, saying the government has properly alleged a single conspiracy.
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June 23, 2025
Fed Joins Peers In Axing Reputational Risk As Exam Factor
The Federal Reserve Board on Monday became the latest regulator to announce that it will no longer consider reputational risk in its examination programs for the supervision of banks.
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June 23, 2025
Texas Governor Vetoes Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed a bill that would have banned hemp-derived THC products, rebuking one of his lieutenant governor's policy priorities and delivering a win to the Lone Star State's hemp industry.
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June 23, 2025
Mass. Cannabis Shop Seeks $2.3M Refund Of 'Impact Fees'
A cannabis retailer with a location on Massachusetts' North Shore is asking for a refund of $2.3 million in so-called community impact and other fees it has paid since 2019, the latest dispensary to make such a request since the fees were rescinded by state lawmakers in 2023.
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June 23, 2025
Convicted Pot Ring 'Consigliere' Denied Return To Pa. Bar
An attorney convicted of federal crimes after serving as a "consigliere" to a drug trafficking ring has been denied reinstatement to the Pennsylvania bar, with the state's Supreme Court siding with a disciplinary board report that flagged "his efforts to downplay his misconduct."
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June 23, 2025
Justices To Review Liability For Forcing Prisoner's Haircut
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a former Louisiana prisoner's case for damages after guards forcibly shaved his head, removing the dreadlocks he maintained as part of his Rastafarian religion.
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June 20, 2025
NJ Court Upholds Some Claims In Athlete's Cannabis Suit
New Jersey marijuana retailers can't shake a lawsuit by a champion collegiate athlete who claims their products caused him to develop cannabis-induced psychosis resulting in a suicide attempt, a state judge has ruled, saying the plaintiff's defective design and failure to warn claims are valid.
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June 20, 2025
DEA Judge Backs Federal Ban On 2 Research Chemicals
A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration judge determined Friday that two unrestricted psychoactive research chemicals belong in Schedule I, the most stringent tier of prohibited substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
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June 20, 2025
Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court
President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
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June 20, 2025
Psychedelic Therapy Reform Gets Boost From Conservatives
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry told attendees at a psychedelics conference this week that he was committed to loosening federal restrictions on a prohibited psychoactive substance that has shown promise in treating mental health conditions like opioid addiction.
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June 20, 2025
Justices Let E-Cig Retailers Join Challenge To FDA Prohibition
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that e-cigarette retailers can challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of product marketing applications, finding manufacturers aren't the only entities that can be adversely affected by the agency's decisions.
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June 18, 2025
FDA Says Vape Co.'s Suit Doesn't Merit Jury Trial
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told a Texas federal court a company that allegedly sold illegal vapes does not have the right to a jury trial, saying that Congress expressly created administrative proceedings for infractions such as the one the company allegedly committed.
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June 18, 2025
Psychedelics And The Law In Focus At Colo. Conference
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a pardon for all state-level convictions for psilocybin and psilocin possession at a psychedelics conference this week, in recognition that these substances are now legal in the state and in another indication that their relationship with the law is in flux.
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June 18, 2025
Ga. Court Backs Dismissal Of Hemp Farm's Drug Raid Suit
A Georgia appellate panel has said that state law enforcement cannot be held liable for allegedly damaging tens of thousands of dollars worth of product at a hemp farm, ruling that the Georgia Department of Public Safety was wholly shielded by sovereign immunity.
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June 17, 2025
Pot Shops Have Rights In Federal Court, Mich. Judge Says
A Michigan federal judge Tuesday declined to remand a lawsuit from cannabis companies alleging the city of Grand Rapids' marijuana licensure program imposes illegal fees, rejecting the companies' argument that the case belongs in state court since marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
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June 17, 2025
Cannabis REIT Reckless To Claim Due Diligence, 3rd Circ. Told
Investors in a cannabis-focused real estate investment trust urged the Third Circuit on Tuesday to revive their proposed class action alleging it violated securities laws by ignoring information about a tenant, saying it was reckless to have claimed it conducted due diligence when it knew it did not.
Expert Analysis
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5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
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Chancery Ruling Holds Authorized Share Takeaways For Cos.
The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent ruling in Salama v. Simon resolved statutory ambiguity in favor of boards seeking authorized share increases, and has important implications for litigators presenting extrinsic evidence in support of contract or statutory interpretation arguments, says Robin Wechkin at Sidley.
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Series
Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
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Series
Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.
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Opinion
Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice
A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.
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In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege
Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.
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What's Next For State Regulation Of Hemp Cannabinoids
Based on two recent federal court cases that indisputably fortify broad state authority to regulate intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products, 2025 will feature continued aggressive state regulation of such products as industry stakeholders wait for Congress to release its plans for the next five-year Farm Bill, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.
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Series
Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.
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Opinion
Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
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Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example
Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Perspectives
Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines
KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.
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AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex
Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.