A judge said she won't stop Michigan's excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales from going into effect Jan. 1, finding Monday that a trade association and cannabis businesses were unlikely to succeed on claims the tax was unlawfully enacted.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

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Mich. Judge Won't Block 24% Wholesale Cannabis Tax

By Carolyn Muyskens

A judge said she won't stop Michigan's excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales from going into effect Jan. 1, finding Monday that a trade association and cannabis businesses were unlikely to succeed on claims the tax was unlawfully enacted.

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Hyundai Unit Seeks Exit From Cannabis Patient Case

By Jonathan Capriel

A subsidiary of Hyundai wants to end a would-be employee's discrimination lawsuit that accuses the company of pulling back a job offer after learning she used marijuana to manage PTSD, telling a federal court that she lied about having a medical cannabis card to treat the condition and about her education.

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Insurer Denies Coverage To Retailers For Kratom Death Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

An insurance company is arguing it has no obligation to defend two Washington retail smoke shops facing a lawsuit by a father who claims they sold kratom products that killed his son, telling a federal court that their policies do not cover injuries caused by the sale of products expected to cause injury.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Food Biz Groups Say Texas Food Label Law Unconstitutional

By Emily Field

Food industry trade groups on Friday said the recent "Make Texas Healthy Again Act" is unconstitutional since the government is forcing them to spread inaccurate information about the safety of products, adding that the law undermines the domestic regulation of food safety.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Opinion

Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

US Lawyer Numbers Surge With Hefty 2024 Graduating Class

By Tracey Read

The number of U.S. lawyers showed marked growth for the first time since 2020, due to a 2024 graduating class that was nearly 12% larger than any other class since 2012, a study from the American Bar Association released Monday showed.

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Habba Resigns As Acting US Atty After DQ Ruling At 3rd Circ.

By Jake Maher

Alina Habba stepped down Monday as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey following a Third Circuit ruling that she was unlawfully appointed to the position, with the U.S. Department of Justice unveiling that a trio of officials will take on her responsibilities.

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Conservative Justices Probe 'Husk' Of FTC Firing Protections

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority pushed back Monday against the 90-year-old precedent permitting the removal only for cause of Federal Trade Commission members, and perhaps those serving other independent agencies, calling those safeguards a "dried husk" and wondering where to draw the line for protected agencies.

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Ex-Josh Cellars President Fights Gibson Dunn Withdrawal Bid

By Elliot Weld

The former president of the company behind the Josh Cellars wine brand disputed Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's version of events around his allegedly unpaid legal bills, saying he has questions about the reasonableness of the firm's charges, which must be arbitrated per his contract with the firm.

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Carlton Fields Steps Aside In 'Irreconcilable' Miss America Case

By Emily Johnson

A Florida federal judge allowed Carlton Fields and its attorneys on Monday to withdraw from representing the plaintiffs in a dispute over the ownership of the Miss America pageant, after the firm said "irreconcilable differences" drew it to ask to step down.

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Jury Expert Sues Atty For 'Pirating' Her Jan. 6 Venue Report

By Matt Perez

A New Hampshire defense attorney representing a defendant charged for crimes related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sued in D.C. federal court for allegedly stealing a copyrighted study analyzing attitudes in the jury pool of the District of Columbia.

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Litigation Funder Says Attys Hid Deal To Evade $1.5M Payout

By Christine DeRosa

A Florida-based litigation funder has sued two California attorneys and a law firm, alleging they secretly settled a client's civil dispute and steered the money so they wouldn't have to repay over $1.5 million.

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Analysis

What To Do When Jurors Don't 'Trust The Science'

By Chris Villani

The pandemic and initiatives from the second administration of President Donald Trump challenging decades of established scientific norms have made science more politicized, and attorneys say picking a jury and presenting scientific evidence is increasingly challenging.

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Brief

Senators Kelly, Slotkin Set Up Legal Defense Funds

By Courtney Bublé

After appearing in a video encouraging members of the military and intelligence community to not follow illegal orders, Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have established legal defense funds.

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Defense Bill Includes Protections For Retired Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 released Sunday night extends U.S. Supreme Court police protection for retired and former justices and their immediate family members.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court delivered a busy first week of December, featuring commercial disputes, post-closing merger and acquisition battles and renewed scrutiny of fiduciary conduct ranging from oil and gas investments to healthcare acquisitions. 

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Bar Association

American Beverage Association

Apollo Global Management LLC

Chevron Corp.

Citigroup Inc.

Consumer Brands Association

Elliott Investment Management LP

Gallup Inc.

IDT Corporation

ITG Brands LLC

LinkedIn Corp.

Lux Research Inc.

Medline Industries Inc.

Michigan Cannabis Industry Association

National Association for Law Placement Inc.

National Confectioners Association

Pilot Inc.

Protect Democracy Project Inc.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Inc.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc.

Smart & Final Stores Inc.

Starbucks Corp.

Straight Path Communications Inc.

Twitter Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

ArentFox Schiff

Carlton Fields

Chasan Lamparello

Clarick Gueron

Duncan Firm

Dykema

Genova Burns

Gibson Dunn

Grealish & McZeal

Herrera Arellano

Holland & Knight

Honigman LLP

Ivey Barnum

Jackson Lewis PC

Kaplan Kenegos

Kluger Kaplan

Laredo & Smith

MCTLaw

Nelson Mullins

Robinson & Cole

Sabatini & Associates

Sheppard Mullin

Wathen Leid

Womble Bond

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Central Intelligence Agency

Delaware Court of Chancery

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Michigan Department of Treasury

New York Attorney General's Office

State of Michigan

Texas State Senate

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Tax Court