The Supreme Court declined to take up a challenge against federal marijuana prohibition. A group of Massachusetts cannabis companies had sued, arguing the Controlled Substances Act oversteps congressional power and violates due process. The court's refusal leaves the current contradictory legal situation unchanged.
The plaintiffs received backing from libertarian groups like the Cato Institute, but the petition failed to secure the necessary votes for a hearing. A NORML lawyer noted the outcome was expected, stating that Congress, not the courts, must end the policy. The case had already been dismissed by two lower courts, which upheld the federal law's constitutionality.
This leaves the nation's patchwork drug laws intact. Federal...
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing war crimes through strikes in southern Lebanon this year. Their report details four attacks months after a ceasefire, destroying heavy machinery and a cement factory while killing three civilians. The group says this illegally targets civilian reconstruction, hampering the rebuilding of thousands of homes.
Israel claimed the equipment was for Hezbollah to rebuild militant infrastructure. The rights organization, after its own investigation, found no evidence of military use at the sites. It argues the strikes violate international laws requiring a definite military advantage for any target. A researcher stated these actions make it impossible for displaced residents to return home.
The...
Australia is pushing for tougher gun laws after a mass shooting at a Jewish festival in Sydney. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan following a major security meeting, calling the Bondi Beach attack an act of terror and antisemitism. The proposed changes include stricter background checks, a cap on guns per owner, and regular license reviews.
The federal government will work with state leaders on a unified national response. This move reexamines the country's strict gun control consensus, established decades ago. The shooters, a father and son, had legally acquired several firearms, despite the son previously being investigated by security agencies.
Albanese stated licenses should not be permanent, as people can become...
Human Rights Watch says the M23 rebel takeover of Uvira, in Congo, has created a major crisis for civilians. The group, backed by Rwandan forces, seized the city earlier this month alongside a coalition of armed fighters. This offensive killed at least seventy-four people and forced around two hundred thousand to flee their homes.
The rights organization documented summary executions and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas during the capture. It notes that all sides, including the Congolese military and its allied militias, have committed violations. This brutal advance happened just after the US brokered a de-escalation deal between Congo and Rwanda, showing the accord's immediate failure.
Researchers state the fighting...
United Nations experts are raising alarms about Estonia's treatment of its main Orthodox church. They say recent laws, funding cuts, and canceled property leases targeting the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church might illegally restrict religious freedom. This church is canonically linked to Moscow and serves many Russian speakers in the country.
The rapporteurs argued that national security, cited due to Russia's war in Ukraine, is not a valid reason to limit religious belief under international law. They warned that these actions disrupt worship and could violate major human rights treaties. Their statement calls for a pause on the measures until Estonia's Supreme Court reviews them.
This UN critique is advisory, carrying no legal...
A new study confirms it is really hard to get an arbitration award thrown out. Reed Smith, working with LexisNexis, looked at challenge success rates in major legal hubs worldwide. England and Wales had the highest success rate at thirty-eight percent. Middle Eastern courts and New York had some of the lowest, with success around eight to eleven percent.
The volume of challenges varied a lot by location. Paris had the most applications with two hundred twenty two, followed by England and Wales with one hundred seventy eight, and Bahrain with one hundred thirty one. The process is also slow, typically taking over a year, and local cost rules influence how often parties even try. For example, Hong Kong's harsh cost penalties correlate...
Sullivan & Cromwell picked up two new partners in London from Kirkland & Ellis. Aprajita Dhundia joins their private equity and mergers team, while Ian Ferreira bolsters their tax practice. Dhundia handles corporate deals for investment firms. Ferreira is a big name in deal-related tax advice across Europe.
This hire continues a noticeable recruitment push for the firm in that city. They have brought in five partners since the summer, including another former Kirkland lawyer, Kon Asimacopoulos, who now helps run the London office. Firm leadership stated these hires match their strategic goals for serving financial clients worldwide.
The two lawyers left Kirkland after long tenures there. Dhundia spent nearly thirteen years at the...
Scissero, a legal AI firm from the UK, just grabbed the managed services division from its struggling competitor Robin AI. The purchase price was not shared. This move adds over one hundred corporate clients to Scissero's roster, including some major global players.
Key leaders from Robin AI, like Olivia Vaughan and Ryan Cattle, are switching over with the deal. Their team will focus on contract review and regulatory work, helping Scissero push into markets across the US, Europe, and Asia. Robin AI had been a well-known startup, even getting a shoutout from a former UK prime minister, but it hit serious trouble recently.
After failing to secure a large funding round, Robin AI cut around fifty jobs. Reports say roughly seventy-five...
Jones Day just promoted 33 lawyers to partner, which is a few fewer than last year. About forty-two percent of the new partners are women, a rate similar to the prior year's class. Most are in the United States, with New York and Los Angeles each getting four. London saw four promotions internationally, while other cities like Paris and Singapore got one each.
Their corporate practice group had the biggest haul with eight promotions. Business litigation followed with seven. The new partners work across various specialties, from financial markets to intellectual property. Managing partner Gregory Shumaker gave a standard statement about the group serving clients globally.
The firm noted its corporate lawyers recently handled some large...
