WASHINGTON

Supreme Court to mull police access to hotel registries

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will consider whether police in Los Angeles and other localities may demand to see a hotel’s registry without obtaining a search warrant.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit last year struck down a city law giving police this power, saying it violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches.

Los Angeles asked the Supreme Court to consider the case, saying there are more than 70 such laws on the books around the country.

The laws “expressly help police investigate crimes such as prostitution and gambling, capture dangerous fugitives and even authorize federal law enforcement to examine these registers, an authorization which can be vital in the immediate aftermath of a homeland terrorist attack,” the city argued in its petition.

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DENVER

Health authorities flip-flop on banning some edible pot

Colorado health authorities suggested banning many forms of edible marijuana, including brownies and cookies, then whipsawed away from the suggestion Monday after it went public.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told state pot regulators they should limit edible pot on shelves to hard lozenges and tinctures, which are a form of liquid pot that can be added to foods and drinks.

The suggestion sparked marijuana industry outrage and legal concerns from a regulatory workgroup that met Monday to review the agency’s suggestion. Colorado’s 2012 marijuana-legalization measure says retail pot is legal in all forms.

Lawmakers have ordered state pot regulators to require pot-infused food and drink to have a distinct look when they are out of the packaging. The order came after concerns about the proliferation of pot-infused treats that many worry could be accidentally eaten by children.

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HARTFORD, Conn.

Convicted murderer sues over access to art book

A convicted murderer sentenced to more than a half-century behind bars is suing the state of Connecticut, saying its ban on pornography in prison violates his constitutional rights.

Dwight Pink Jr., 44, says in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in July that guards have used the policy to deny him an art book, “The Atlas of Foreshortening,” which uses nude models to help show how to draw the human form.

Pink says the ban is a violation of his free speech rights and serves no meaningful objective in prison.

The state filed its response Monday, saying Pink has not been harmed by the ban and none of his rights were violated.

“Any injury or harm, if any, was caused solely by plaintiff’s own acts, omissions, or conduct and was not due to any wrongful conduct by the defendants,” Assistant Attorney General Steven Strom wrote.

—From news service reports


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