In the first episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, Ashley Taylor, co-leader of the firm’s State Attorneys General (AG) team, is joined by his colleague Stephanie Kozol, senior government relations manager for the State AG team. Together, they unpack how the latest state AG outcomes shape business risk and strategy — and what’s ahead in the 2026 election cycle.

Earlier this fall, a small manufacturer and retailer (the plaintiffs) sued Virginia Attorney General (AG) Jason Miyares and Tax Commissioner James Alex (the defendants) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking to enjoin their enforcement of Virginia’s vapor product directory regime, Va. Code Ann. §§ 59.1-293.14 to .21, which the General Assembly passed in 2024.

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Tuesday, December 16 • 1:00 – 3:10 p.m. ET

Ashley Taylor, co-leader of the firm’s State Attorneys General (AG) team, and Barry Boise, a partner in the Health Care and Life Sciences Litigation practice and a member of the firm’s State AG team, will participate in an upcoming CLE webinar with myLawCLE. They will discuss how regulatory environments evolve, how enforcement priorities shift, and the importance of understanding the future trajectory of state AG litigation.

On November 13, North Carolina Attorney General (AG) Jeff Jackson and Utah AG Derek Brown, along with the Attorney General Alliance, announced a task force in conjunction with generative artificial intelligence (AI) developers, including OpenAI and Microsoft, to identify and develop consumer safeguards within AI systems as these technologies continue to rapidly proliferate.

Background

On November 6, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta, Connecticut AG William Tong, and New York AG Letitia James announced a $5.1 million settlement with Illuminate Education, Inc. (Illuminate), an educational technology company that offers K-12 software solutions that enable schools and school districts to track student attendance and grades, and monitor academic progress, behavior, and mental health.

This article was originally published on Reuters and Westlaw Today and is republished here with permission as it originally appeared on November 18, 2025.

The 2026 election season is poised to bring substantial changes to the roster of state Attorneys General (AG). With over 30 races, including high-stakes contests in Texas and Florida, the outcomes of these state AG elections are set to significantly influence legal and policy outcomes across the nation. These elections will not only shape the legal landscape but also impact businesses and industries that operate within these states.

On November 10, New York’s Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act officially took effect, requiring businesses that use individuals’ personal data to set prices to comply with the act’s disclosure requirements. New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James, charged with enforcement of this new law, has stated that enforcement is a top priority and has urged businesses

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.