For the past year, Minnesota’s lower-potency hemp edible (LPHE) market has operated in a state of regulatory grace. As of April 1, 2026, that period has officially ended. The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has fully assumed the reins, and the rules of the game have shifted from “registration” to “strict licensure.” If you are a manufacturer, retailer, or wholesaler in the hemp space, here are some updates you need to know to stay on the right side of the law. …
Continue Reading Minnesota Hemp Roundup

Georgia Maxwell, lame duck appointee to the Commission back in 2018, had that appointment expire in March 2023. She stayed on past that expiration date, however, and so her replacement, Katy Lounsbury, has yet to begin serving on the Commission.

But, Maxwell’s service on the Commission may be ending soon, as she has recently accepted a job as Waukesha county clerk beginning in June of this year.

When Maxwell’s work at the Commission will officially end remains…
Continue Reading Maxwell moving on from LIRC perhaps

If you filed a Wisconsin worker’s compensation claim, you may be shocked when the insurance company starts asking for medical records that seem unrelated to your injury. For example, you may have injured your knee at work, but the insurance company wants records about your back, hip, ankle, or prior surgery. We understand why this feels invasive, unfair, and frustrating. Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s worker’s compensation system gives insurance companies broad rights to investigate and defend against claims, including the right…
Continue Reading Why Is My Worker’s Compensation Insurance Company Asking for Unrelated Medical Records?

UPDATE: Shortly after this alert was published, the Supreme Court granted an administrative stay of the Fifth Circuit’s order. This means that, while the Supreme Court reviews Danco’s and GenBioPro’s emergency requests that the Fifth Circuit’s stay be vacated, mifepristone is available under the 2023 REMS, which permits dispensing of mifepristone directly to patients by certain pharmacies, including by certain mail-order pharmacies. We will continue to follow this litigation and will provide further updates as they are available.…
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Panel Grants Stay in Case Challenging FDA Regulation of Mifepristone

Lloyd Barbee at the Wisconsin Capitol in August 1964. Photograph courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHS Image 26539. By Amy Rabideau Silvers Three words—long used as the sign-off before his signature—sum up Lloyd Barbee’s goal throughout his life. Justice for All. Best known for his efforts to desegregate Milwaukee’s public schools, Barbee fought for justice on other fronts, too. He was an activist, attorney and state legislator, pushing for equal rights as human rights, arguing for fair housing and…
Continue Reading Unsung hero: In pursuit of justice, the life and activism of Lloyd Barbee

  • Hartford Hospital plans to construct a $950M, 14-story, 500,000-sf inpatient and surgical tower. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will include 216 private-room inpatient beds.
  • Health systems continue land banking for future development. Recent examples include Novant Health’s purchase of the 56-acre former TD Bank campus off I-85 in Greenville, SC, for $45M; Atrium Health’s acquisition of 10 acres near I-77 in Fort Mill, SC, for $5M; and Banner Health’s purchase of 18 acres in North Phoenix,

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: More Land Banking | Hartford Hospital Plans $950M Tower | CaroMont Invests $200M in Oncology Services

    April 30, 2026

    Ruder Ware is pleased to announce that Attorney Amy Ebeling has been elected to the board of directors of Meritas, a global alliance of independent law firms that serves the legal needs of companies across major jurisdictions and global markets. Ebeling was elected to the position from the more than 9,200 attorneys in the Meritas member network and will serve a three-year term with six other lawyers from around the world.
    “Amy is a proven…
    Continue Reading Attorney Amy Ebeling Elected to Board of Directors of Meritas

    Hall Render has been recognized by BTI Consulting Group as a member of the BTI Super Listener A-Team 2026, which honors law firms that clients identify as excelling in business development through exceptional listening skills.
    The BTI Super Listener A-Team designation is based on independent research drawn from BTI’s ongoing Annual Survey of General Counsel. This survey includes feedback from top legal decision-makers at organizations with $1 billion or more in revenue, including Chief Legal Officers, Chief Legal Operating…
    Continue Reading Hall Render Named to BTI Super Listener A-Team 2026 List

    GLP‑1s, Direct‑to‑Consumer Pricing, and the HRA Opportunity Most Employers Are MissingWhy the Compliance Answer You’re Getting May Not Be the Answer You Need
    If your company offers health benefits, someone has probably asked about GLP‑1 coverage in the last six months. The drugs work, employees want access, and the sticker price through traditional pharmacy channels can run north of $1,000 per month per employee.
    Direct‑to‑consumer platforms like TrumpRx.gov, Hims, Lilly Direct, and NovoCare now offer the same medications…
    Continue Reading GLP‑1s, Direct‑to‑Consumer Pricing, and the HRA Opportunity Most Employers
    Are Missing

    Can I Be Pardoned or Have My Sentence Commuted Under Governor Evers’ Executive Order?
     Posted on April 30, 2026 in AppealsIn April 2026, Governor Tony Evers signed two executive orders restoring Wisconsin’s commutation process. Combined with the pardon process Governor Evers reinstated when he first took office, under which he has now issued a record-breaking 2,000 pardons, these executive orders represent a genuine second chance for thousands of people who are either currently incarcerated or carrying…
    Continue Reading Can I Be Pardoned or Have My Sentence Commuted Under Governor Evers’ Executive Order?

    ​”Evers’ judges” is our effort to present information about Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees’ own judgeship applications. Italics indicate direct quotes from the application.​ Typos, including punctuation errors, come from the original application even though we have not inserted “(sic)” after each one. WJI has left them as is. Name: David O. Hughes Appointed to: Kenosha County Circuit Court Appointment date: Dec. 23, 2025, to term ending July 31, 2027 Education:…
    Continue Reading Evers' judges: David O. Hughes

    On April 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule that would set a single standard for joint employer status under the FLSA, FMLA, and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (“MSPA”). The proposed rule would offer clarity for employers around when multiple employers are jointly responsible for protecting employee wages and other rights.
    Many will recall that during the first Trump administration, the DOL issued a similar final rule on this very…
    Continue Reading DOL Issues Proposed Rule on Joint Employer Status Under FLSA and FMLA

    The U.S. health care industry continues to experience consolidation, with steady merger and acquisition activity (“M&A”) aimed at improving quality, expanding patient access and reducing costs by leveraging economies of scale. These transactions present a unique opportunity to undergo a strategic analysis of an often overlooked, but vitally important area: the supply chain.

    Integrating two previously independent supply chains can be challenging from multiple perspectives, particularly given differing processes, levels of integration, existing vendor relationships and operational philosophies. These…
    Continue Reading From Transaction to Transformation: Leveraging M&A to Optimize Health Care Supply Chains

    Note: We are crunching Supreme Court of Wisconsin decisions down to size. The rule for this is that no justice gets more than 10 paragraphs as written in the actual decision. The “upshot” and “background” sections do not count as part of the 10 paragraphs because of their summary and necessary nature. We’ve also removed headings, citations and footnotes from the opinion for ease of reading but have linked to important cases cited or information about them. Italics indicate …
    Continue Reading The SCOW docket: Court splits on whether interrogation of student violated Miranda, but either way the student loses in the end

    Many individuals walk into family court believing the odds are stacked against them due to their gender. Some men believe women are favored in family cases, especially those involving children. At the same time, some women feel they have to go to extreme lengths to have their concerns taken seriously in court.

    While implicit bias can play a role in any court decision, the belief that one’s gender alone determines the outcome of their case is highly unlikely.
    The …
    Continue Reading Family Court Doesn’t Favor Mothers – Here’s What They Actually Care About