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A grand total of eight states have new marijuana laws on the upcoming November ballot, ranging from recreational cannabis in California to restricted medical marijuana in Florida. And if small business owners aren’t keeping an eye on pot referendums in their state, they should be. If recreational weed is legal in your state, does that mean employees can have a toke at lunch? If a staff member has a prescription to treat an ADA-qualifying disability, can she use in the office?...

College parties have certainly been known to occasionally get out of control. A spring-break party near the University of California, Santa Barbara earlier this year turned ugly when a campus police officer tried to arrest a partygoer…but ended up with 44 injuries and more than 100 arrests, reports The Associated Press. If you’re injured at a college party, can you sue? Party-related injuries typically fall within the purview of personal injury law....

In a Northern California city last week, five year-old Kirby Jackson walked home from school after he ended his kindergarten day. He walked home, alone, around noontime, through three miles of busy streets. No one noticed. Once home, he called his mom at work to say hi, which almost gave his mother a heart attack. He was supposed to be in after-care at his local public elementary school. When the mother called the school to see what had happened, the school didn’t even know Kirby was gone....

The Americans with Disabilities Act covers all manner of legal issues faced by people with disabilities. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to make sure you are ADA compliant. The ADA covers two things that affect small businesses: employment and public accommodations. Both of them are important, and have their own requirements for what a business must do. Many of the legal requirements are just good business – things like not discriminating and making sure all customers can get in the door....

Police are investigating two killings at pot shops in the Los Angeles area. Police say they do not know whether the fatal shooting at the two medical marijuana dispensaries are connected, the Los Angeles Times reports. Apparently, during a robbery attempt a medical marijuana dispensary one employee was killed. Police say the owner of another medical marijuana dispensary found the body of an employee. The motive of the second killing is unclear, officials said....

Advocacy groups are claiming voter discrimination in Florida’s push to remove noncitizens from voting records. The state is facing lawsuits from both the federal government and voter advocacy groups for its attempt to remove noncitizens from its voting registration records. Florida isn’t under fire for ensuring that noncitizens don’t vote. It’s the method they’re employing that is raising eyebrows. Voting is a privilege reserved for citizens but the process of determining who is eligible to vote should treat individuals equally....

Sometimes, whether you win or lose your legal battle will depend just as much on the attorney you hire as the law and the facts of your case. That’s why choosing the right lawyer is so important. Most people will tell you to hire an attorney with a great reputation. But how do you research a lawyer’s reputation? Two main sources: the state bar and word of mouth. In order to practice law, an attorney must be licensed in the state....

It appears all the discussion about gun control wasn’t just talk, as New York state has now passed the nation’s first new gun law since the Sandy Hook massacre. In the wake the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, late last year, New York lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged action on broad gun control legislation. Both the majority-Republican Senate and the majority-Democratic Assembly passed the bill easily. New York already had incredibly strong gun laws, but the new law will tighten the bans on certain kinds of weapons....

North Korea has been in the news a lot lately. From “Little Rocket Man’s” missile testing to diplomatic talks between the North and South, and a potential meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, the hermit kingdom has garnered a lot of attention. However, as the Korean War officially comes to an end, the parents of a student who died while imprisoned in North Korea are remaining steadfast in their own battle with the “rogue nation....

This year, Black Friday will be followed by Small Business Saturday. And two days later, retailers will honor the shopping deities with Cyber Monday. Between the three, you’re likely to find yourself trampled by a savings stampede. Which is why you should prepare yourself and your small business for Black Friday. But before you make a plan, you might want to take a look at the following Saturday Night Live video....

If you’re a fan of the reality TV show “Storage Wars”, you may be keenly aware of the legal issues that come with renting a self-storage unit. Renting a storage unit is a lot like renting an apartment. In both cases, you typically sign a lease and enter into an agreement setting forth the rules for using the unit. But unlike renting an apartment, there are a lot of unique issues with a storage unit....

Kenlie Tiggeman, one of the many individuals who have been told they were too fat to fly on Southwest Airlines, has filed a lawsuit against the company. Last May, a gate agent asked her weight and clothing size, demanding that she buy a second seat before being allowed on the plane. The “too fat to fly” lawsuit alleges that Southwest employees “did not follow their company policy and chose to discriminate, humiliate and harass” Tiggeman....

It has been months since the much-debated and highly-publicized $787 billion government stimulus package was approved by Congress. And considering that federal taxpayer dollars were allocated for the stimulus, it is no wonder that Americans want to know how the money is being spent and how what new job and benefit opportunities have been created by the infusion of funds. The main 3 goals of the American Recovery Act of 2009 were identified as:...

Although the Supreme Court often has the highest approval rating among the three branches of government, it is also the branch that the American public knows the least about. A new fantasy game allows players (and especially high school students) to learn about Supreme Court cases in a fun way. The web-based game, FantasyScotus.org, was modeled after popular fantasy sports games. But instead of drafting players and trading through a faux football season, the players are given a chance to analyze current and past high-profile Supreme Court cases and guess the outcome....

The Justice Department filed suit against the state of Texas in federal court Thursday, claiming the state’s voter identification law illegally discriminates against racial minorities. This suit follows the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision which substantially weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a decision that allowed the Lone Star State to implement a previously blocked voter ID law, reports Reuters. As the U.S. government sues Texas, the old battle lines of federalism will inevitably be drawn on this new ground....

This week’s installment of the Dummy Files features some definitely not-so smooth criminals, who swiftly (and, sometimes, directly) brought the law’s attention onto themselves: Keying Car a Really Bad Move. If police reports are accurate, a New York woman who found her car blocked by some police officers’ patrol car apparently really needed to get to work. The Post-Standard reports that 23-year-old Daphne Diaz proceeded to call 911 to report her “emergency”....

Whether the famous words come from Donald Trump’s mouth, or a different boss, “You’re Fired” is always an unwelcome phrase to hear. Losing a job is challenging both emotionally and financially. But there are certain steps an employee should consider if a job comes to an end. Here are the top things to do when losing your job: Finalize Things at Work: At the top of the list of things to consider when losing your job should be to finish things at your job....

Despite the talk in Washington about health care reform, which could potentially provide health insurance to millions of uninsured Americans, legislation to be enacted in the future does not help if you are uninsured now. If you are not covered by any current health insurance carrier or are worried about losing employer-based or university-subsidized health insurance, there is something you should know. You might be able to negotiate your way to basic health care....

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is poised to pass in the U.S. Senate after years of debate, leaving many Americans to wonder: What is ENDA? The Senate voted Monday to move forward on ENDA, a long-fought bill that would “prohibit discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,” CBS News reports. While ENDA is now closer than ever to becoming law, federal protections for gays and lesbians in the workplace have floundered for almost 20 years....

The upcoming presidential election is shaping up as one of the most bitter and contentious in recent history. And behind all of the debates, scandals, and attack ads, another battle has been playing out, one focusing on who will get to cast ballots come November. We all need to be registered in order to vote, but some states also require some form of official identification in order to receive a ballot or vote at the polls....