The issue focused on federal funding for medical marijuana programs in California and Colorado. Lawmakers were seeking to legalize medical marijuana and authorize medical marijuana cultivation and distribution in those states.

On Tuesday, federal courts struck down federal laws criminalizing marijuana and passed measures decriminalizing marijuana use. The Supreme Court legalized medical marijuana in California and Colorado in 2012.

On Wednesday, California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.

The Justice Department had argued that federal laws criminalizing marijuana had