Marijuana

How should corporate counsel advise their clients when it comes to the legalization of cannabis for either recreational or medicinal use?

* Michael Cohen’s three days in the sun begin. [CNBC]

* Lawyers trying to hold back release in Kraft massage parlor matter. [WPTV]

* Firm GCs are volunteering to mentor Biglaw on diversity. If they’d just live up to their commitment to take business away from firms that either don’t make or make only a token attempt at diversity, they wouldn’t need to hold these cute mentorship meetings. [American Lawyer]

* Elon Musk is either completely ignorant of his legal obligations or doesn’t care that he violates them. Either way, it’s an invitation to massively step up sanctions. [Law360]

* Trump campaign staffer claims he forcibly kissed her without her consent, which shocks no one who’s ever listened to him talk. [National Law Journal]

* The burgeoning niche practice of hash brown law. [Washington Post]

* Profiling the intellectual property lawyer fighting for the CBD industry. [Forbes]

* 16 states, including New York and California, filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump yesterday — yes, on President’s Day — challenging his declaration of a national emergency. [NBC News]

* Meredith Watson, one of the women to accuse Virginia Lieutenant Governor and MoFo partner Justin Fairfax of sexual assault, writes in an op-ed that she’s willing to publicly testify about the allegations. [Washington Post]

* North Carolina elections shenanigans: state investigators the allege Republican candidate engaged in a “coordinated, unlawful and substantially resourced” absentee ballot strategy. [New York Times]

* Gibson Dunn is suing the Justice Department over their about face on online gambling. [Law.com]

* Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers really wants to bring medical marijuana to the badger state. [Huffington Post]

'I think it gives a lot of people joy and we need more joy in this world,' the presidential candidate said amid laughter.

The fact that CBS won’t run an ad by a billion-dollar medical cannabis company that employs John Boehner says a lot about the power of stigma.

* In case you missed President Trump’s wall speech, he stopped short of declaring a national emergency at the border (lost that bet), instead referring to the situation as a “growing humanitarian crisis” — a “manufactured” one, per Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. [USA Today]

* Remember the contempt order against a state-owned foreign corporation that Chief Justice Roberts stayed in the Mueller probe? The Supreme Court restored it, and that company filed for cert under seal. Suspense! [National Law Journal]

* Speaking of the Mueller investigation, Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, who has been overseeing the probe more or less since it began, is planning to quit his job in the coming weeks after William Barr is confirmed as the new attorney general. [ABC News]

* “I don’t want to speculate about her health, but it doesn’t seem like a good sign.” Justice Ginsburg missed oral arguments two days in a row, which has prompted much concern about her well-being. Please stay strong, RBG. We need you! [The Hill]

* Justice Kavanaugh released his very first decision, and in keeping with legendary SCOTUS tradition, it looks like he was assigned an easy-peasy, “one-issue, unanimous opinion to write.” One down, and only a countless number to go. [Big Law Business]

* Puff, puff, pass along your résumé: Biglaw behemoth Dentons recently poached a partner from Jones Day to run its marijuana practice, and he’s hiring people who want to work for the “number one firm” in the cannabis industry. [Business Insider]

* Law students are being screwed by the government shutdown. Students who were supposed to extern at federal agencies may have to go without these “huge components on their résumé,” and that’s got to be a horrible experience. [Law.com]

When you are facing large tax bills totaling several million dollars due to Section 280E, you will do odd things to minimize the tax burden.

Puff, puff, pass those dank billable hours.

What makes for a good indemnification provision in a cannabis contract?

A common police ploy to stop and frisk people has made it less likely that defendants are judged by a jury of their peers.

I was gonna file a motion, but then I got high...

It appears the federal government is taking a wait-and-see approach to foreign ownership of state cannabis businesses

There's a conspiracy theory out there about the government's intellectual property interest in marijuana. It's not nearly as sinister as people think.

Protecting the vape industry in the looming trade war.

It's not used with the intention of getting Rover high, but in hopes of relieving the pain pets experience from chronic conditions.

Potential applicants on both sides of the social equity aisle need to be aware of the tricks being used to game this new system.

California is essentially letting the FDA dictate what it will do with hemp CBD.

Get your comments in now or forever hold your peace.

Los Angeles County finally seems ready to open its doors to local cannabis regulations.

* Now begins the period of wild predictions about Kennedy’s eventual replacement. Young judge with proven record of hostility toward minorities, gays, and women would be a pretty good bet. [National Law Journal]

* A whopping 33 states employ the UBE now. [Law.com]

* No one is actually complying with GDPR. Sounds right. [Digiday]

* But back to Supreme Court news, remember Roe? Yeah that won’t be around much longer. And if you’ve deluded yourself into the Pollyannaish belief that Roberts won’t go there, you’re forgetting how courts work.
[Slate]

* This op-ed by the legal luminary power family, the Amars, about Justice Kennedy’s call for a civil and balanced court in his Muslim Ban concurrence did not age well. But it’s worth revisiting to demonstrate just how deeply Kennedy grifted everyone, including some of the smartest legal minds around, with his “swing” schtick. [CNN]

* ICE lawyer decides it’s time to help kids instead of hurt them. To quote West Wing: “Let’s… I tell you what, let’s forget the fact that you’re coming a little late to the party and embrace the fact that you showed up at all.” [USA Today]

* Border patrol is about to get aggressive on keeping Canadians out. [Newsweek]