On October 27, the FDA appealed a decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia that vacated the agency’s 2020 rule requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertisements. This appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals to the Eleventh Circuit, along with a separate challenge pending before the Fifth Circuit, may determine whether the FDA’s second attempt to impose graphic health warnings on cigarettes will be successful.[1]
On October 20, a coalition of 21 state attorneys general (AG), led by Iowa AG Brenna Bird, submitted a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester M. Peirce in response to her February statement titled “There Must Be Some Way Out of Here.” Peirce’s statement invited public input to assist the SEC’s Crypto Task Force with clarifying regulatory approaches for digital assets. The letter from the AGs addressed the pivotal question of establishing a regulatory structure that balances clarity with the protection of state authority and consumer interests.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) legalized industrial hemp for commercial use to support American farmers and create a regulated industrial hemp market. The 2018 Farm Bill defined “hemp” as “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.” The 2018 Farm Bill also removed hemp from the definition of “marihuana” under the Controlled Substances Act. Since 2018, many in the hemp industry have relied on language in the 2018 Farm Bill’s definition of “hemp” (sometimes referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill loophole) to take the position that it authorizes the production and sale of intoxicating, hemp-derived THC products (e.g., beverages, gummies, candies, etc.) that are derived from cannabis plants containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis. On October 24, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter to congressional committee chairs, signed by 39 state and U.S. territory attorneys general (AGs), urging immediate legislative action to close the loophole.
In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, Stephen Piepgrass is joined by RISE partner Chris Carlson and New Jersey First Assistant Attorney General (AG) Lyndsay Ruotolo for a deep dive into the unique structure, scope, and impact of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Lyndsay shares how her career in prosecution, county leadership, and federal service shaped a broad, modern view of public safety — one that spans criminal justice, consumer protection, health, and community well-being.
Troutman Pepper Locke’s State Attorneys General Practice Group, was mentioned in the November 4, 2025 Law.com article, “Robinhood Shareholders Gleeful Over Firm’s ‘Prediction Market’ Push, But State AGs Say It’s Illegal Gambling.”
The outcome of the Massachusetts litigation and litigation in other states “will set important precedent for how prediction markets are treated
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Of the 43 elected state attorneys general (AG), Virginia was the only state to hold an AG election in 2025. Democratic candidate Jay Jones was elected to his first term, defeating incumbent Republican Jason Miyares by a 6.6% margin. |
Jones was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for the 89th District
Matt Berns, former chief counsel to the New Jersey attorney general (AG) and deputy chief counsel to the New Jersey governor, and previously a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, has joined Troutman Pepper Locke’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) practice and nationally recognized State AG team.
Washington Attorney General (AG) Nick Brown proposed updates to Washington State’s Public Records Act (PRA) model rules — the advisory playbook many state and local agencies rely on when handling records requests. The proposal aims to reduce backlogs and improve response times, with a public hearing set for November 6, and written comments invited through November 17.
On October 13, Vermont Attorney General (AG) Charity R. Clark announced a settlement with Angi, Inc., (Angi), resolving allegations related to misleading marketing practices.
This article was originally published on Law360 and is republished here with permission as it originally appeared on October 29, 2025.
This article is part of a regular column in which each installment features observations on one state’s attorney general enforcement news and trends, and the compliance implications.
Since beginning his tenure in 2019, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has strategically positioned himself as a leading figure among Democratic state attorneys general.