Iowa can start enforcing a state law that restricts the sale of some e-cigarettes, after the Eighth Circuit on Thursday determined that the policy was not preempted by federal tobacco law and overturned a lower court's ruling that blocked officials from implementing it.
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TOP NEWS

8th Circ. Revives Iowa Vape Restrictions Law

By Sam Reisman

Iowa can start enforcing a state law that restricts the sale of some e-cigarettes, after the Eighth Circuit on Thursday determined that the policy was not preempted by federal tobacco law and overturned a lower court's ruling that blocked officials from implementing it.

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Split 4th Circ. Says NC Vape Sale Limits Pass Preemption Test

By Lauren Berg

A divided Fourth Circuit on Thursday refused to block a new North Carolina law that regulates and prohibits the sale of certain e-cigarette or "vape" products, saying a coalition of vape retailers and manufacturers are not likely to prevail on their theory that the statute is preempted by federal law.

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Ohio Panel Says Burnt Pot Smell Justified Vehicle Search

By Parker Quinlan

An Ohio appeals court has ruled that even though marijuana is legal in the state, law enforcement can use visible signs of the drug's use as probable cause to search a vehicle, as driving while intoxicated is still a crime.

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Cannabis Retailer Says Electrician Killed LA Store Buildout

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis retail chain Velvet Holdings Inc. claims it is out millions of dollars after a contractor abandoned a storefront project, resulting in Los Angeles building officials refusing to certify the location and leading to the loss of its lease and cannabis licenses, according to a California state lawsuit.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Series

Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Advocacy Group Says Law Firm Fellowship Program Biased

By Patrick Hoff

A legal advocacy group said Thursday it had lodged U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges against a nonprofit and law firms including Jones Day, White & Case and Morgan Lewis, claiming Muslim and Middle Eastern students were getting unlawful preference in a fellowship program.

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ABA Eyes Nixing School DEI Standards To Sway Trump Admin

By Emma Cueto

The American Bar Association is poised next week to eliminate the first of multiple diversity-related law school standards, a controversial move that it hopes will allow it to remain an accreditor despite an uncertain outcome in the face of a Trump administration increasingly wary of the association's role in legal education.

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WilmerHale Sued Over Accidental Client Data Disclosure

By Andrea Keckley

A proposed federal class action filed Wednesday accuses WilmerHale of failing to protect clients' personal information after an employee allegedly disclosed sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, to an unauthorized person who misrepresented their identity back in May.

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2 Traders Admit Guilt In Stolen BigLaw Info Scheme

By Chris Villani

Two men pled guilty Thursday in Massachusetts federal court to their roles in a sweeping scheme to trade on inside information stolen from huge corporate law firms about upcoming deals.

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Ill. Atty Sanctioned For AI Slop In Starbucks Bias Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A unanimous Illinois appeals court sanctioned an attorney representing a former Starbucks employee in a workplace discrimination suit after determining that he submitted briefs using false citations and quotations hallucinated by artificial intelligence software.

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Trump May Renominate Blanche If GOP Holdouts Block Vote

By Courtney Bublé

With Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., still on the fence about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation to be attorney general, President Donald Trump said Thursday he might renominate Blanche next year when the two senators are no longer serving in the Senate.

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DA Says Trump's NY Hush Money Conviction Must Stand

By Frank G. Runyeon

New York prosecutors told a state appellate court that President Donald Trump's 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records is "unaffected" by the U.S. Supreme Court's watershed presidential immunity decision and should be upheld.

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Judiciary's Bid To Control Courthouses Gets Senate Push

By Courtney Bublé

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Thursday that would create a pilot program for the federal judiciary to obtain direct authority to maintain its buildings, which the judiciary says is desperately needed.

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Bronx Legal Aid Organization's Union Rejects New Pay Offer

By Andrea Keckley

The Bronx Defenders' executive director said on Thursday that the union representing the organization's over 300 attorneys and staff has rejected an updated offer on wages, with both sides still at odds over the prospect of separate salary scales for lawyers and social workers.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Bar Association

Brooklyn Defender Services

Citrix Systems Inc.

Enstar Group Ltd.

Johnson & Johnson

Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc.

New York University

Poshmark Inc.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Inc.

Stanford University

Starbucks Corp.

The Bronx Defenders

United Auto Workers

University of Miami

Vapor Technology Association

YouTube Inc.

iRobot Corporation

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alston & Bird

Cole Sadkin

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling

Cravath Swaine

David R. Chase PA

Debevoise & Plimpton

Fine Kaplan

Foley Hoag

Fox Rothschild

Goodwin Procter

Jones Day

Jones Walker LLP

Latham & Watkins

Milberg PLLC

Morgan Lewis

Morrison & Foerster

Patterson Belknap

Proskauer Rose

Quinn Emanuel

Sidley Austin

Sullivan & Cromwell

Thompson Hine

Troutman

Wachtell Lipton

Weil Gotshal

White & Case

WilmerHale

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Illinois Attorney General's Office

Illinois Supreme Court

Internal Revenue Service

Iowa Attorney General's Office

Iowa Department of Revenue

Judicial Conference of the United States

Los Angeles Superior Court

Manhattan District Attorney's Office

New York Supreme Court, New York County

North Carolina Department of Justice

Ohio Supreme Court

Texas Supreme Court

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

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

U.S. General Services Administration

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court