A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has advised the head of the agency that the ball is back in her court with respect to the Biden administration’s marijuana rescheduling proposal, providing notice of a request for leave to file appeal that he granted this week in the hearing proceedings.

A DEA judge cancelled a hearing to consider a proposal to reclassify marijuana amid allegations that officials at the agency improperly conferred with witnesses.

The Justice Department is telling a federal court that it should pause a lawsuit challenging the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) marijuana rescheduling process after the agency’s own judge cancelled upcoming administrative hearings that were set to start next week.