China amends tobacco monopoly law to include e-cigarettes and vaping
The State Council of China amended its tobacco monopoly law Friday to include regulations for e-cigarettes and vaping. This result comes after months of deliberation by the Chinese government to regulate electronic tobacco consumption. E-cigarette sales have been functioning in the grey area of the law since they became popular in China. Following the amendment, [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday filed a 28-page statement of interest in a lawsuit filed by the city of St. Louis challenging a Missouri state law that prohibits enforcement of federal firearms laws and subjects state and local law enforcement officers to civil suits and monetary penalties. Missouri House Bill No. 85 [...]
Fourth Circuit rules laws barring gun sales to persons under 21 unconstitutional
In a split decision on Tuesday a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that federal statutes and regulations restricting gun sales to persons 21 years old and older are unconstitutional. The plaintiffs, Natalia Marshall and Tanner Hirschfeld, filed suit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) [...]
A joint statement from the US, Canada, UK and EU on Monday announced the imposition of new, “coordinated sanctions” against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and its “continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law.” The new and comprehensive sanctions on Belarusian individuals and entities follow last month’s forced landing of a Ryanair [...]
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday signed a bill that allows for adults to carry a firearm without a permit. The bill, one of seven the governor passed to expand gun laws in the state, allows for any Texan 21 years and older to carry a firearm if they are not barred from doing so. [...]
US Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled two new gun safety measures Monday. First, the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed rule 2021R-08, which would alter the definition of a rifle to include any weapon that “has objective design features and characteristics that indicate that the firearm is designed to be fired from the shoulder.” These “objective [...]
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled the first six measures it will take to address gun violence. The actions, which come in response on the heels of recent shootings in Atlanta and Colorado, are executive orders that President Joe Biden hopes will supplement upcoming legislation. The first measure asks the Department of Justice (DOJ) to [...]
Author’s Note: a longer alternative version of this article with footnotes and instructions for use as an education module is available here. Law students should consider the nature of the common law and why it failed to curb the advance of slavery in America. This suggestion follows both recent discussions in higher education about how [...]
Acting US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen issued his first statement Wednesday about last week’s seizure of the US Capitol Building, promising a swift response to further acts of violence. The three-and-a-half-minute prerecorded video was released overnight and began with Rosen calling “the storming of the capitol … an intolerable, shocking and tragic episode in our [...]
Tennessee employment protection and tobacco age restriction laws take effect
Several new Tennessee state laws take effect on January 1. The new rules include protections for pregnant workers, changes to tobacco laws, an expansion of the emergency alert system and tax regulations for sharing platforms. Pregnant workers at companies with more than 15 employees will be guaranteed some accommodations including extra restroom breaks and decreased [...]
