The executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the most substantial shift in federal cannabis policy in over half a century, is expected to have favorable ramifications for the marijuana industry even as it falls short of decriminalizing the drug or resolving the many tensions between federal and state law.
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TOP NEWS

Analysis

Trump Order Rallies Cannabis Industry, Advocates Want More

By Sam Reisman

The executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the most substantial shift in federal cannabis policy in over half a century, is expected to have favorable ramifications for the marijuana industry even as it falls short of decriminalizing the drug or resolving the many tensions between federal and state law.

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Trump Orders Loosening Of Federal Restrictions On Marijuana

By Sam Reisman

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that his administration would instruct federal agencies to loosen restrictions on cannabis via executive order, a historic acknowledgment from the executive branch that the drug has recognized medical uses.

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Colo. Judge Won't Dismiss Bong Maker's Trademark Case

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge Wednesday declined to toss a suit from a California-based bong maker alleging trademark infringement after each party accused the other of being responsible for missing pretrial filing deadlines.

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Feature

The Biggest Rulings From A Busy Year At The 1st Circ.

By Chris Villani

The nation's smallest federal appellate panel punched above its weight in 2025, grappling with numerous suits against the Trump administration, high-profile criminal appeals, a $34 million legal fee bid and a hotly contested kickback law.

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POLICY & REGULATION

NY Regulators Back Dispensary Against Local Zoning

By Jonathan Capriel

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management is putting its weight behind a Long Island dispensary's bid seeking to invalidate a township's zoning ordinance requiring such businesses to secure special permissions before operating, saying the local regulations are preempted by state cannabis law.

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Pot Co. Says NY's 'Seed To Sale' Program Raises Costs

By Mike Curley

A maker of cannabis products is suing New York's cannabis regulators, alleging that new 'seed-to-sale' tracking system will exponentially raise prices and is an unconstitutional overreach by the agency.

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LITIGATION

Colo. Court Asked To Award $20M In Kratom Fail-To-Warn Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A deceased Colorado man's parents asked a state judge Thursday to order a kratom company to pay them $20.1 million because of their son's death, claiming the company failed to warn consumers about the risks associated with using the loosely regulated plant-derived substance with opioid-like effects.

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Cannabis Distributor Accuses Manager Of $250K Theft

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado cannabis distributor claimed in state court Wednesday that its former facility manager stole nearly $250,000 worth of equipment and product from its warehouse and that he used the facility to make cannabis products despite a state-ordered stay on all production of such products at the facility.

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ITC Clears Toy Gun Imports, Will Review Smart Rings, Vapes

By Dani Kass

The U.S. International Trade Commission has had a busy week in intellectual property, determining a series of toy gun imports don't infringe Spin Master patents licensed to Hasbro, instituting reviews requested by companies including Ouraring, AbbVie and Juul, and receiving several new complaints.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

2025 Legal Milestones That Will Shape Psychedelics Sector

As 2025 draws to a close, psychedelic drug development stands at an inflection point, experiencing unprecedented momentum through recent sweeping regulatory changes and landmark clinical milestones, amid rapidly evolving regulatory expectations, say Odette Hauke at Odette Alina LLC and Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

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Series

Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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Health, Legal Employers Face Unique Online Speech Hurdles

Employers in the legal and healthcare industries must consider distinctive ethical obligations and professional requirements when disciplining employees for social media posts, while anticipating an area of the law in flux as courts seek to balance speech rights and the workplace function, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen the designer of an 88-facet diamond bring a copyright claim against a luxury watch retailer, collapsed firm Axiom Ince bring legal action against the solicitors' watchdog, and the Post Office hit with compensation claims from two former branch managers over their wrongful convictions during the Horizon information technology scandal.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Five firms lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the D.C. Circuit reinstated an order that blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from freezing grants for climate change projects.

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Florida Supreme Court Approves Limits For Non-Lawyer Roles

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court has signed off on a rule change to spell out that nonlawyers at a law firm cannot supervise the work of attorneys or perform policymaking duties that affect the practice of law.

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Sidley Adds Williams & Connolly Mass Torts Trial Atty In DC

By Alison Knezevich

A trial attorney who spent more than two decades at Williams & Connolly LLP has moved to Sidley Austin LLP to help lead its product liability and mass torts practice.

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Yale Law School Appoints Deputy Dean To Top Spot

By Brian Steele

The deputy dean of Yale Law School, a career academic and public servant who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, will take over the top deanship position next year, the school announced Friday.

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Federal Courts Not Subject To FOIA, DC Judge Rules

By Jake Maher

The conservative litigation group America First Legal Foundation cannot demand documents from the federal Judicial Conference of the U.S. and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Freedom of Information Act because they are not executive agencies, a D.C. federal judge ruled Thursday.

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Analysis

More Pardon Seekers Going 'Straight To The White House'

By Phillip Bantz

A nonprofit's unusual plan to make a mass pardon request directly to the Trump administration highlights burgeoning optimism among white collar defendants about their chances of securing relief, and a recognition that the clearest path to clemency no longer runs through the traditional channels.

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Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader's Divergent Paths Led To Deal

By Aebra Coe

The blockbuster combination between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP announced this past week involves two law firms that have charted very different paths in recent years. Here, a look at what events led up to the firms joining together at the deal table.

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DC Firm Hiring From Government Skyrocketed In 2025

By Alison Knezevich

As federal lawyers left in droves this year amid President Donald Trump's return to the White House, the number of attorneys who moved from government jobs to BigLaw firms in Washington, D.C., doubled in 2025 compared to the last post-presidential election year.

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Keesal Young Drops Part Of Stradley Ronon Poaching Suit

By Madison Arnold

Keesal Young & Logan wants to drop part of its California state court lawsuit alleging Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP unlawfully recruited 10 of its attorneys.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

In one of the stories in corporate legal news from the past week, almost half of the in-house legal professionals in a recent survey said they were either actively or passively seeking new jobs, citing stress, a struggle to build multidisciplinary teams and anxiety around artificial intelligence.

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Gambling Tech Co. Loses Sanction Bid In NJ Defamation Case

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state judge rejected a gambling technology company's bid for sanctions in its defamation suit against investigative firm Black Cube and law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP on Thursday, ruling that Black Cube did not willfully disobey a court discovery order.

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Colo. Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart Retires

By Zach Dupont

After an extended leave of absence this year, Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart announced her retirement from the state's high court Friday.

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Justices Let Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit Continue

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Trump administration has failed to show it will be irreparably harmed by a Fourth Circuit decision that revived immigration judges' lawsuit challenging restrictions on their ability to speak publicly.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AB Electrolux

AbbVie Inc.

Adeia Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

American Bar Association

American Medical Association Inc.

Apple Inc.

B.C. Strategy Ltd.

Balfour Beatty PLC

Binance Holdings Ltd.

Blickstein Group

Bouygues

Brigham Young University

Citigroup Inc.

Davies Group Ltd.

Dell Technologies Inc.

EchoStar Corp.

Equity Services Inc.

FTI Consulting Inc.

Ford Foundation

Galliford Try

Garmin Ltd.

Genmab A/S

Google LLC

H. Lundbeck A S

HSBC Holdings PLC

HTC Corporation

Hasbro Inc.

ImmunoGen Inc.

InterDigital Inc.

JUUL Labs Inc.

JetBlue Airways Corp.

Johnson & Johnson

Krka dd Novo Mesto

Last Prisoner Project

Lenovo Group Ltd.

LinkedIn Corp.

Lykos Therapeutics

Michelin Group

Midea America Corp.

Monsanto Co.

NJOY Inc.

Nasdaq Inc.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

New York State Bar Association

New York University

Playtech PLC

Prime Time Toys LLC

QUALCOMM Inc.

Reebok International Ltd.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Solicitors Regulation Authority Ltd.

South Carolina Bar

Spirit Airlines Inc.

Stantec Inc.

Starbucks Corp.

Suncor Energy Inc.

Super Micro Computer Inc.

T-Mobile US Inc.

The Cigna Group

The District of Columbia Bar

The Florida Bar

Vodafone Group PLC

Whirlpool Corp.

Yale University

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Alston & Bird

Amster Rothstein

Arnold & Porter

Ashurst LLP

Atkinson Andelson

Baker Botts

Beasley Allen

Berger Montague

Blank Rome

Boies Schiller

Brown & Connery

Cadwalader Wickersham

Calcagni & Kanefsky

Clyde & Co

Constantine Law Ltd

Cooley LLP

DAC Beachcroft

DLA Piper

David Boies

Davis Polk

Dentons

Evia Law PLC

Fabricant LLP

Falcon Rappaport

Farrar & Ball

Fennemore

Fieldfisher

Fish & Richardson

Foley Hoag

FordHarrison

Frantz Ward

Gateley PLC

Gibson Dunn

Gowling WLG

Greenspoon Marder

Gunderson Dettmer

Hagens Berman

Harbottle & Lewis

Hay & Kilner

Hodel Wilks

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart

Holwell Shuster

Husch Blackwell

Irwin Fraley

Jenner & Block

Joffe & Associes

Jones Day

K&L Gates

Kasowitz LLP

Kaster & Lynch

Kaster Lynch

Keesal Young

Keller Postman

Kelley Drye

Kennedys Law LLP

Keoghs LLP

Kirkland & Ellis

Korein Tillery

Latham & Watkins

Levi Snotherly

Lewis Silkin

Liskow & Lewis

Marino Tortorella

Mayer Brown

McDermott Will & Schulte

McGuireWoods

McKool Smith

Nelson Mullins

Nixon Peabody

Norton Rose

O'Melveny & Myers

Orrick Herrington

Paul Hastings

Pillsbury Winthrop

Proskauer Rose

Quarles & Brady

Quinn Emanuel

Reed Smith

Robinson Calcagnie

Saul Ewing

Sharpe Pritchard

Sheppard Mullin

Shook Hardy

Shoosmiths LLP

Sidley Austin

Simons Muirhead Burton

Sokoloff Stern

Spratt Endicott

Steptoe LLP

Stone King

Stradley Ronon

Stroock & Stroock

Ticktin Law Group

Trethowans LLP

Venable LLP

Vicente LLP

Victor M. Glasberg & Associates

Wetherington Law Firm

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

Winston & Strawn

Womble Bond

Zimmer Citron

gunnercooke LLP

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Colorado Judicial Branch

Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division

Colorado Supreme Court

Congressional Research Service

European Medicines Agency

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Judicial Center

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

International Trade Commission

National Institutes of Health

New Jersey Attorney General's Office

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

New York Attorney General's Office

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Social Security Administration

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Treasury

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 Minnesota

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

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

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

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

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Government Accountability Office

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court

UK High Court

UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO)

United States District Court for the District of Colorado