Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Tuesday granted 11,017 pardons for individuals convicted of misdemeanor cannabis offenses involving less than 30 grams. The expungements involved Illinoisans in 92 counties. The landmark bipartisan Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, signed by the governor in June, provided paths to relief for more the 700,000 cannabis-related arrest and conviction records. While [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of California court on Tuesday denied a motion by brand-name drug companies to halt the implementation of a California bill that would stop “reverse payments” to generic drug companies. The bill in question is Assembly Bill 824 (AB 824), which seeks to stop “reverse [...]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled an upcoming trip to Ukraine and four other countries on Wednesday in order to address the current security concerns in Iraq. In a press statement, the State Department indicated that Pompeo would reschedule the trip to begin on Friday order to “ensure the safety and security of Americans [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of New York on Tuesday temporarily blocked parts of a New York farm workers law from going into effect. Judge Lawrence Vilardo issued a temporary injunction that prevents parts of the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act from going into effect until a final [...]

US President Trump on Monday signed a bill that will help eliminate rape kit backlogs throughout the country. HR 777, also known as the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act, authorizes up to $151,000,000 in funding per year to state and local governments to process and test DNA evidence. The Act renews the Debbie Smith Act, which [...]

The White House announced Monday that US President Donald Trump signed S 151, the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (Pallone-Thune TRACED Act), into law. The Pallone-Thune TRACED Act authorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue additional civil penalties for intentional violations of restrictions on the use of automated telephone equipment.  [...]

The California Consumer Privacy Act went into effect Wednesday. The California Consumer Privacy Act, signed into law by then-governor Jerry Brown in June 2018, was enacted in response to a series of data misuse incidents. The Act aims to protect California residents’ online privacy by giving them control over their personal information. It gives California consumers the [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of California on Tuesday denied a motion by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Lighting Association (ALA) for a temporary restraining order against the California Energy Commission (CEC) to block updated light bulb efficiency standards. NEMA and ALA filed a complaint [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday ruled that Dr Pepper did not violate California consumer fraud laws by using the word “diet” in its brand name. The complaint stated that consumers were promised by the diet label that the product “would ‘assist in weight loss’ or at least ‘not cause [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld on Tuesday the validity of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (“ACA”) risk adjustment program, reversing a lower court’s decision. As a part of the ACA’s enactment, Congress authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to design and implement this risk adjustment [...]