Colorado lawmakers are considering a ballot measure to address a glitch in marijuana taxes. (File photo by Kathryn Scott Osler/ The Denver Post)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the top attorney for the government to weigh in on the legal fight over state marijuana laws that has arisen between Colorado and two nearby states: Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The request sometimes can be a precursor to the high court taking up a case — though the opinion of the U.S. Solicitor General matters significantly in whether that happens. In its Monday, the Supreme Court simply asked U.S. Solicitor General to “file a brief in this case expressing the views of the United States.”
Nebraska and Oklahoma in December to strike down Colorado’s legalization of the drug — citing enforcement problems in their own borders because of the drug’s increased accessibility.
But Colorado has argued the two states and want the high court to toss the case. “My office remains committed to defending Colorado’s law,” said Cynthia Coffman, the state’s attorney general, in a statement at the time.
Two , Oregon and Washington, joined the fray a few weeks ago and in support of Colorado.
The case was among the justices on May 1.
