Appeal court cases

The appeals court agreed with government attorneys who said Christensen went too far in requiring a review of those remnant populations. But it sided with wildlife advocates on the genetics issue, saying the government had not done enough to make sure hunting and other pressures don’t reduce the population size to where the bears’ genetic health could be harmed. … [Read more...] about Appeals court: Judge was right to revive grizzly protections

Lawyers representing the group of defendants in the case argued the budget restrictions prohibited all federal prosecutions in medical marijuana states, but O’Scannlain said Congress has shielded only those who are actually complying with state law, not those suspected of violating both state and federal laws. That means the Justice Department can still use federal law to file charges in marijuana cases, or continue prosecutions it has already started, but a federal judge will dismiss the charges if the judge determines the defendant was following state law. … [Read more...] about Court says feds can’t prosecute for medical pot use OKd by state

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Montana said in a pair of recent rulings in the Keystone case that Army Corps officials had failed to adequately consult with wildlife agencies before reauthorizing the permitting program in 2017. Its continued use could cause serious harm to protected species and critical wildlife habitat, he said. … [Read more...] about Court rejects bid to revive cancelled US pipeline program

In addition to the accompanying 120-day ban on refugees from any country, Trump proposed to reduce overall U.S. refugee admissions from 110,000, the number approved by then-President Barack Obama, to 50,000 for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. Refugee advocates said the Trump administration has slowed its processing of refugees, limiting admissions to 46,000 so far for the 12 months that started last October. … [Read more...] about U.S. Supreme Court OKs part of Trump’s travel ban

The two men presented evidence that they grew the marijuana for nearby nonprofit collectives, which reimbursed them for their costs, and that they were abiding by the state law’s ban on growing marijuana for profit. Federal prosecutors argued that the cash, gold and silver were evidence of a profit-making business, but Seeborg disagreed, noting that such transactions were often made in cash because banks refused to serve marijuana businesses. … [Read more...] about Court rules Humboldt marijuana growers can’t be sentenced under federal law as drug dealers

In February, Tarasov explained that the chances of the US Supreme Court accepting the case for review are generally extremely low — around 1% acceptance rate when the case is filed by the defendant himself, and around 5% chance when the case is filed by the paid legal defense. … [Read more...] about US Prosecutors File No Objections Against Russian Citizen Bout’s Appeal