[Editor’s note: This is the November 9th edition of Bob Ambrogi’s weekly newsletter, This Week with Bob Ambrogi. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.]
Rumor has it there was an election this week. If it seems as if that’s all anyone’s talking about, legal bloggers are no exception. Several weighed in to offer their perspectives on the issues and candidates on ballots around the country.
The weed wave. Let’s start with the important stuff – cannabis of course. Four states were deciding whether to allow recreational or medical marijuana, reports Seyfarth Shaw’s The Blunt Truth, and three voted yes: Michigan for recreational marijuana and Missouri and Utah for medical marijuana. In addition, the blog notes, the election of pro-pot governors in several states could mean legalization is near for them.
Fox Rothschild’s In the Weeds blog also has details on the four states’ cannabis initiatives and, in a separate post, says that Illinois’ election of Democrat J.B. Pritzker could pave the way for recreational marijuana there. “Assuming Pritzker keeps his campaign promises,” writes lawyer Michael J. Neville, “Illinois’ cannabis industry is set to take off and become one of the largest markets in the country.”
The women and minority wave. An overarching theme of this election was the number of women and minorities who successfully campaigned for local, state and national offices. At her blog MyShingle, Carolyn Elefant hones in on one piece of that – the 19 black women who ran for and won judgeships in Harris County, Texas. It is no coincidence, she says, that 12 of them came from solo and small law firms.
“In the legal profession, black women face a double whammy of discrimination based on gender and race,” Elefant writes. “In these circumstances, starting your own law firm sure beats begging for scraps at biglaw.”
The blue-nutmeg wave. In the nutmeg state of Connecticut, the blue wave engulfed the General Assembly and the governor’s office, reports Daniel Schwartz at Connecticut Employment Law Blog. For employment law, that’s likely to mean, at the least, a minimum-wage increase and paid family medical leave. Also likely: A new bill on training to prevent sexual harassment and perhaps even an expansion for claims of sexual harassment.
“My early prediction? The 2019 legislative session is going to be a busy one,” Schwartz writes. “Additional bills on strengthening unions may ultimately be on the table.”
Trade-ing places. In Washington, with Democrats now in control of the House, what will be the impact on U.S. trade policy. Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Law blog offers a deep dive into this question, forecasting the make-ups of the trade- and foreign affairs-related committees and then examining the potential impacts on trade priorities.
The great divide. While the legal bloggers discussed so far all focused in on specific issues, Baker Hostetler’s Chris Jones takes in the broad view in his aptly titled post, Divided Country Votes for Divided Congress. With Republicans firmly in control of the Senate and Democrats the House, what does it mean for the rest of us?
This much is sure, Jones says: Gridlock is back. “But the must-pass legislation on the debt ceiling and budget sequestration could become vehicles to carry other, unrelated provisions if bipartisanship breaks out,” he says.
Too soon for the next election? Sure, the coffee’s still warm in the ballot-counting rooms. But it’s never too early to start thinking about the next election. And if you should somehow find yourself tasked with counting ballots, Sarah E. Merkle of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings has Everything You Need to Know About Counting Ballot Votes.
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