Legal Lasso: Warren Has a Plan to Legalize Marijuana, Weinstein Found Guilty

Legal Lasso

Legal Lasso is Law Week Colorado’s daily roundup of legal news from around the state. Not already subscribed to the daily email? Sign up here! Not subscribed to Law Week Colorado? You can change that too!

LOCAL NEWS

Warren’s Plan for Legalizing Marijuana
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren released details about a plan to legalize marijuana nationwide before a campaign event in Denver. She said as president, she would prioritize passing a bill to expunge past marijuana convictions introduced by former presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris. She said marijuana policy has unfairly targeted black and Latinx communities, and Warren also wants to protect immigrants who seek jobs in the marijuana industry. (Colorado Public Radio)


Schools Allowed to Investigate Themselves on Seclusion and Restraint Policies
A Chalkbeat investigation found Colorado’s 10 largest school districts vary widely in how they report restraint and seclusion – an allowed practice for students showing dangerous or violent behavior – which makes it impossible to get a complete picture of the practice. The investigation found weak laws and oversight have contributed to the variation. (Chalkbeat)

Aurora to Consider New Law Banning Income Discrimination 
At a work session Monday, the Aurora City Council is scheduled to discuss a possible new law that would ban landlords from turning away renters who use housing vouchers or disability as sources of income. Denver and Boulder already have similar laws. (The Sentinel)

Hancock Says He Did His Research
In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock discusses everything he said he took into consideration before he vetoed the repeal of Denver’s pit bull ban, from looking at data to talking with doctors and law enforcement. (Colorado Public Radio)

Aurora Hosts Buttigieg on Saturday Night
During a town hall Saturday night at Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s talking points included supporting organized labor and expanding health insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment. (Greeley Tribune)

NATIONAL NEWS

Weinstein Guilty on Two of Four Counts
After a weekslong trial, film producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of a criminal sexual act and rape in the third degree. He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault.

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Foster Care Case
On Monday, the Supreme Court granted cert in a case over whether Philadelphia can exclude a Catholic agency that does not place children with same-sex couples from the city’s foster care system. The agency and several foster parents claim the city has violated their First Amendment and religious freedom rights.

Algorithm Looks for Marijuana Convictions Eligible to be Cleared
The nonpartisan group Code for America has created an algorithm to identify people in California with marijuana-related convictions eligible for clearing since the state legalized marijuana in 2016. District attorneys in the state say the algorithm has helped expedite a process otherwise that’s otherwise expensive and slow.

Former Associate General Counsel for Miami Heat Accuses Organization of Retaliation
In a federal lawsuit, a woman who worked in the NBA’s Miami Heat legal department until 2019 has accused the organization of firing her for taking maternity leave under the FMLA to care for a child she adopted. She declined a severance offer and is seeking lost wages, employment benefits and wants her job back.

Husch Blackwell Chair Discusses Sobriety
Husch Blackwell’s chairman discussed at a recent partner retreat how admitting his addiction to alcohol and deciding to seek help more than 31 years ago improved his personal life and helped his career thrive.

Law School Dean Called a Bully in Faculty Comments
Law schools have to go through a faculty input process to reappoint their deans, and faculty comments for the University of Florida School of Law’s dean are a strikingly mixed bag. She has had success in fundraising and guided the school to a 10-spot jump in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, but faculty comments have said she bullies and belittles people, and makes spending decisions without input.

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