A couple late last month won $1.1 million in a lawsuit against the prominent Maine attorney who represented them in their case against the New York-based agricultural conglomerate that caused them to lose their potato seed farm. So reports the Portland Press Herald.

This Wall Street Journal’s “Law Blog” post provides a rundown of some of the more interesting new laws taking effect in 2014, including an Oregon law that establishes a $500 penalty for smoking in a car accompanied by a passenger who is younger than 18.

Was the “Defense of Marriage Act” an appropriate name for a law that denied federal benefits to gay couples married in states that allow those unions?

Colorado last month became the first state to sell marijuana for recreational use and Washington state voters have approved the retail sale of recreational pot, though shops have yet to be set up there. So reports CNN.com.