In this In Practice podcast, I talk about my second rule for being an effective lobbyist, which is to always be honest. There are many reasons why it is important to always be honest, but perhaps the best reason is that it is easier to remember
California pays the price in gun violence for Nevada’s gun show sales
Congress has the power to regulate how guns are sold at gun shows, or to prohibit gun show sales entirely. But it has not done so. This leaves a patchwork of different state rules across the nation. And while states may create and enforce their own rules within their geographical areas, policy
Feds, State, County and City – None of them can act alone to solve homelessness
In some countries, the national government could devise a way to combat homelessness, fund it, and implement a single solution in the same way throughout the country. Not so in the United States. Despite the Court’s broad interpretation Congress’s commerce power, Congress does not have the power
When is baking a cake speech? What the answer means for California and civil rights laws.
In December, the Court will hear argument in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. A cake baker claims that a Colorado civil rights law, which requires him, as a merchant serving the public, to provide his product on a nondiscriminatory basis to gay people for their weddings, unconstitutionally compels
Marijuana is illegal under federal law – so how can states legalize recreational and medical marijuana?
This Lead Up to Legalization blog series will cover California’s foray into legalized recreational marijuana. We will cover issues leading up to our state’s January 2018 implementation, including the structure of Proposition 64, marijuana’s classification under the Controlled Substances Act, and many other issues that arise during the state’s transition.
At the
UPLR: In Session 007 – AB 1528
By: Trevor Wong
In 1996, Californians passed Prop 215 allowing qualified medical patients the right to cultivate and possess marijuana. In 2016, Californians passed Prop 64 allowing adults over the age of 21 to use marijuana recreationally. In the twenty intervening years, the Obama Administration gave California and other states assurances that if they developed
Rules for Effective Lobbying – No. 1: Be a Sponge
In this In Practice podcast, I talk about my first rule for being an effective lobbyist, which is to be a sponge. It might sound fairly common sense, but this rule has served me well throughout my career as an advocate. These are not just helpful for
Protecting free speech and public safety simultaneously
Today’s Senate Public Safety Committee Informational Hearing on the recent rise of violence at protests struck at the heart of one the most difficult questions California, and the nation, has had to deal with this year: How do we balance the need to protect our constitutional rights to free speech and assembly
Advocacy In Practice with Judge Allison Claire
Advocacy in Practice with Judge Allison Claire
I recently sat down with Judge Allison Claire, a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. We discussed her advice to attorneys practicing in her courtroom and chambers, and in the Eastern District more
California AG sues over federal rule change expanding birth-control exemptions
On Friday, numerous federal agencies announced new rules that allow employers to opt out of providing no-cost contraceptives to employees by claiming religious or moral objections. California law blunts, but not entirely, the impact of this rule change. California’s Contraceptive Coverage Equity Act of 2014 requires private and Medicaid managed care plans