Justice

Congress has re-authorized a key provision protecting state medical marijuana operations from federal prosecution, providing California's pot industry with at least a temporary reassurance that it can continue business as usual.

(Update: Gov. Jerry Brown signed the “sanctuary state” law on October 5, saying in a statement: “These are uncertain times for undocumented Californians and their families, and this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear everyday.”) If Gov. Jerry Brown […]

As Congress nears a Friday deadline to avoid a federal government shutdown, an important provision protecting California's medical marijuana operations hangs in the balance.

As immigration enforcement ramps up, so rises the fear of undocumented parents about the fate of their children if they are separated by deportation and returned to their native country. Will the children stay in the United States? Who will care for them? Will someone transport the children to the parents wherever they are? Will […]

A cattle-ranching billionaire headed into Gov. Jerry Brown’s office last week with redemption on his mind. Redemption for prisoners who wind up behind bars because their own tortured childhoods lead them to lives of crime. Redemption for veterans who bring home wartime scars that cause addiction and violence. And redemption, perhaps, even for himself—born into […]

While uncertainty mounts over how the Trump administration will handle legal marijuana in California, a group of Democratic state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities in investigating state-licensed pot growers and sellers.

Update: On Oct 5, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a scaled-down version of SB 29— placing a moratorium on local governments entering into new immigration detention contracts with federal immigration authorities or private corporations.  Trash-strewn cells, moldy showers, broken telephones, excessive use of solitary confinement, and “slimy, foul-smelling lunch meat.” These are the conditions that detainees […]

In another worrying sign for California's newly legalized marijuana industry, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the Justice Department is reviewing its hands-off policy toward enforcing federal anti-pot laws—and that he's seeing "real violence" linked to marijuana.

President Trump's action to rescind Obama-era protections for transgender school children drew quick rebuke from California lawmakers, but the dispute at this point is more symbolic than substantive.

The U.S. Senate has voted largely along party lines to confirm former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as the nation's Attorney General. The 70-year-old Sessions has been a vocal critic of marijuana decriminalization for much of his political career—calling legalization a “tragic mistake” and vigorously criticizing the Obama administration’s hands-off attitude toward marijuana enforcement.