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Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez and N.M. A.G. Raul Torrez Announce Key State Transparency Provisions Included in Epstein Transparency Act
SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 13 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on Aug. 12, 2026:
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Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez and Attorney General Raul Torrez Announce Key New Mexico Transparency Provisions Included in Epstein Transparency Act
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez today discussed key transparency provisions drafted by the New Mexico Department of Justice and introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of H.R. 9694, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. Congresswoman Leger Fernandez
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SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 13 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on Aug. 12, 2026:
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Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez and Attorney General Raul Torrez Announce Key New Mexico Transparency Provisions Included in Epstein Transparency Act
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez today discussed key transparency provisions drafted by the New Mexico Department of Justice and introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of H.R. 9694, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. Congresswoman Leger Fernandezco-led the bill's introduction in the House.
The Attorney General and Congresswoman highlighted how the proposed amendments to the original Epstein Transparency Act would strengthen the law by giving state law enforcement meaningful access to federal investigative records, preserving states' existing legal remedies when records are improperly withheld, and making clear that the Act applies to ongoing investigations.
"Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have waited years for the truth. They should not have to wait any longer because the U.S. Department of Justice invents a procedural excuse," said Attorney General Raul Torrez. "These amendments make sure that state investigators can get the records Congress ordered disclosed, without interference and without delay. I thank Congresswoman Leger Fernandez for her partnership in getting this right."
"Congress already ordered the Epstein files released. The Department of Justice had 30 days to comply, yet millions of files remain hidden from the American people," said Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez. "Survivors have waited long enough for the truth. That's why I co-led the Epstein Files Transparency Act II--to give survivors, state attorneys general like Raul Torrez, and prosecutors the key to the courts. No one--no matter how rich, powerful, or well-connected--gets to hide from accountability. When Trump's administration does not comply with the law, there must be consequences."
The New Mexico Department of Justice's amendments adopted in the legislation:
* Clarify that the Act, not existing federal Touhy regulations, governs state law enforcement requests for records covered by the legislation, preventing federal agencies from relying on those regulations to withhold, delay, or condition production.
* Preserve all other legal avenues available to state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other authorized state officials to challenge improper withholding or redaction of records, ensuring the Act supplements rather than replaces existing legal remedies.
* Make clear that the legislation applies to investigations already pending at the time of enactment, allowing current state investigations to benefit immediately from the Act's disclosure requirements.
Attorney General Torrez has consistently advocated for full transparency surrounding the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and has sought access to records necessary to determine whether additional criminal conduct occurred, whether victims are entitled to further justice, and whether any individuals or institutions escaped accountability.
The strengthened legislation reflects a shared commitment by Congresswoman Leger Fernandez and Attorney General Torrez to ensure that federal agencies cannot use procedural barriers to shield information from legitimate state law enforcement investigations when Congress has directed that those records be disclosed.
Copy of the Act (https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/Epstein-Files-Transparency-Act-II.pdf)
For more information about the Act, visit HERE (https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/attorney-general-raul-torrez-representative-leger-fernandez-push-new-legislation-to-force-doj-to-release-remaining-epstein-files/).
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Original text here: https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/congresswoman-teresa-leger-fernandez-and-attorney-general-raul-torrez-announce-key-new-mexico-transparency-provisions-included-in-epstein-transparency-act/
S.D. A.G. Jackley Announces State to Request Further Review Of Federal Ruling on State's Ballot-Question Petition Deadline
PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 12 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Announces State to Request Further Review Of Federal Ruling on State's Ballot-Question Petition Deadline
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the state will seek further review of a 2-1 panel decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that upheld a lower federal court ruling that prohibits the state from enforcing a new law that moved the election-year filing deadline for ballot-question petitions
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PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 12 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Announces State to Request Further Review Of Federal Ruling on State's Ballot-Question Petition Deadline
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the state will seek further review of a 2-1 panel decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that upheld a lower federal court ruling that prohibits the state from enforcing a new law that moved the election-year filing deadline for ballot-question petitionsto nine months, from May to February.
Attorney General Jackley said the state plans to request that the entire 11-member Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals hear the case.
"While we respect the panel's decision, we still believe the South Dakota Legislature reached a fair solution to our petition process, without infringing on the First Amendment," said Attorney General Jackley. "We believe this case is worthy of being heard by the full court. As stated by Judge Lonken in his dissent, 'the Constitution does not authorize the federal court's micromanagement of state elections.'"
A bill passed by the 2025 South Dakota Legislature and signed by the Governor moved the filing deadline for ballot-questions petitions from May to February. Dakotans for Health had appealed that bill on the grounds that it reduced the circulation window for gathering petitions by three months. That appeal was upheld by a South Dakota federal court.
In its appeal to the Court of Appeals, the state argued that the February deadline allowed enough time for ballot measure supporters to gather signatures and for the Secretary of State's Office to determine the signatures were valid.
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Original text here: https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3132
S.D. A.G. Jackley Announces Federal Court Strikes Down Unconstitutional Firearm Restrictions
PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 12 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Announces Federal Court Strikes Down Unconstitutional Firearm Restrictions
South Dakota Attorney Marty Jackley commends a Texas U.S. Federal Court decision that ruled the National Firearms Act (NFA)'s registrational regulations of short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers and other firearms are no longer valid.
South Dakota was one of 14 states to challenge the regulations. The Federal District Court determined that
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PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 12 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Announces Federal Court Strikes Down Unconstitutional Firearm Restrictions
South Dakota Attorney Marty Jackley commends a Texas U.S. Federal Court decision that ruled the National Firearms Act (NFA)'s registrational regulations of short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers and other firearms are no longer valid.
South Dakota was one of 14 states to challenge the regulations. The Federal District Court determined thatthe NFA's required registration of the firearms were only valid as a means of collecting taxes.
But once the taxes were eliminated in the Big Beautiful Bill, the Court ruled the regulations could no longer be enforced without taxing power.
"The federal government had used its taxing power to impose invasive registration mandates on law-abiding citizens," said Attorney General Jackley. "This is a victory for law-abiding gunowners and the Second Amendment."
Other states who joined the lawsuit are Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming,
Read the ruling here (https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3131).
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Original text here: https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3131
Md. A.G. Brown Sues to Block Trump Administration's Lawless Handout to Big Banks
BALTIMORE, Maryland, Aug. 12 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Sues to Block Trump Administration's Lawless Handout to Big Banks
Rule lets big banks keep money that should be going back into Maryland homeowners' pockets
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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit today to block the Trump administration's latest effort to favor big business over working families. The case challenges a decision by a little-known but powerful federal agency, the Office of
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, Aug. 12 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Sues to Block Trump Administration's Lawless Handout to Big Banks
Rule lets big banks keep money that should be going back into Maryland homeowners' pockets
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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit today to block the Trump administration's latest effort to favor big business over working families. The case challenges a decision by a little-known but powerful federal agency, the Office ofthe Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), to invalidate state laws that require mortgage lenders to pay interest on the money they require borrowers to deposit into escrow accounts to cover taxes and insurance.
The result of the OCC's decision is to take money away from homeowners and put it right into the pockets of big banks.
"Maryland law says homeowners are entitled to interest on their own escrow money, and the OCC is trying to hand that money to big banks instead," said Attorney General Brown. "We are joining this lawsuit to protect homeowners and stop this rule before it costs them the interest they deserve."
In May 2026, responding to a request from banking lobbyists, the OCC issued a rule that claims to invalidate state laws - including Maryland - requiring lenders to share the money they earn on borrowers' escrowed funds with the borrowers themselves. According to the lawsuit, the OCC's rule ignores federal court rulings upholding state interest-on-escrow laws and skips the safeguards Congress put in place to prevent exactly this kind of bureaucratic overreach. If successful, the states' case will wipe the OCC's rule off the books and level the playing field between lenders and borrowers in Maryland.
It's not just borrowers who lose out under the OCC's rule. Because it only exempts national banks from Maryland's interest-on-escrow law, smaller, state-chartered banks are left at a competitive disadvantage.
The case, States of Oregon & New York, et al., v. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency & Jonathan Gould, will be filed today in the U.S. District Court in Portland.
Joining Attorney General Brown in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General-Brown-Sues-to-Block-Trump-Administration%e2%80%99s-Lawless-Handout-to-Big-Banks.aspx
Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Protections Against ATM Crime
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 12 -- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued the following news:
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Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Protections Against ATM Crime
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a 15-state coalition urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act (S. 3798/H.R. 1631), legislation that would strengthen efforts to prosecute the organized criminal networks responsible for a growing number of ATM robberies across the country.
Currently, federal law imposes strong penalties for robberies involving banks
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 12 -- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued the following news:
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Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Protections Against ATM Crime
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a 15-state coalition urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act (S. 3798/H.R. 1631), legislation that would strengthen efforts to prosecute the organized criminal networks responsible for a growing number of ATM robberies across the country.
Currently, federal law imposes strong penalties for robberies involving banksand financial institutions but does not provide the same consistent protections for many off-site and standalone ATMs. The Safe Access to Cash Act would modernize the Federal Bank Robbery Act of 1934 by ensuring crimes involving ATMs located away from bank branches-including those at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, shopping centers, and other community locations-can be prosecuted as federal offenses.
"A lot of people do their banking without ever going to a bank, and federal law needs to keep up and ensure that people who get their cash from ATMs are fully protected," said Attorney General Skrmetti. "Criminals who rob people at ATMs should not get a break just because they are not at a bank branch. The Safe Access to Cash Act givers law enforcement a modernized tool to deter robberies and better protect our citizens and our communities."
The Safe Access to Cash Act would complement the work of state and local law enforcement by establishing a clear and consistent federal framework for prosecuting ATM crimes involving interstate criminal activity, organized crime rings, or coordinated attacks spanning multiple jurisdictions.
The legislation would also close a significant gap in federal law by extending protections to individuals using ATMs and covering ATM theft, destruction, and related offenses.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the Safe Access to Cash Act in March 2026, reflecting broad bipartisan recognition of the need to address increasingly sophisticated ATM crimes.
The coalition letter was led by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
Read the letter.
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Original text here: https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2026/8/12/pr26-32.html
Attorney General Andy Wilson's Statement on Storm-Related Scams
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 12 -- Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Andy Wilson's Statement on Storm-Related Scams
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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson issued the following statement cautioning consumers to be on the lookout for storm-related scams:
"In times of disaster, Ohioans have plenty to worry about. They don't need fraudsters trying to capitalize on their misfortune. Those who do will be held accountable."
Storms across Ohio in recent days have brought high winds and several inches of rain, causing flooding and damage
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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 12 -- Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Andy Wilson's Statement on Storm-Related Scams
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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson issued the following statement cautioning consumers to be on the lookout for storm-related scams:
"In times of disaster, Ohioans have plenty to worry about. They don't need fraudsters trying to capitalize on their misfortune. Those who do will be held accountable."
Storms across Ohio in recent days have brought high winds and several inches of rain, causing flooding and damageto residences and property. These storms may create a vulnerable time for Ohioans in need of home-repair contractors.
The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section publishes this guide to help Ohioans avoid storm-related scams.
Consumers can file or search consumer complaints online at OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/August-2026/Attorney-General-Andy-Wilson-s-Statement-on-Storm
Ariz. A.G. Mayes Sues Out-of-State Landlords for Leaving Tucson Tenants Without AC in Summer Heat
PHOENIX, Arizona, Aug. 12 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Mayes Sues Out-of-State Landlords for Leaving Tucson Tenants Without AC in Summer Heat
Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced a lawsuit filed in Maricopa County, against the owners and managers of three affiliated apartment complexes in Tucson: Sedona Springs, Sienna Ridge, and Summit Ridge. The complexes house over one thousand units combined.
The lawsuit was filed August 7, 2026 against the three complexes' respective owners, members, and managers:
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PHOENIX, Arizona, Aug. 12 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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Attorney General Mayes Sues Out-of-State Landlords for Leaving Tucson Tenants Without AC in Summer Heat
Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced a lawsuit filed in Maricopa County, against the owners and managers of three affiliated apartment complexes in Tucson: Sedona Springs, Sienna Ridge, and Summit Ridge. The complexes house over one thousand units combined.
The lawsuit was filed August 7, 2026 against the three complexes' respective owners, members, and managers:Sedona Springs AZ, Sienna Ridge AZ, Summit Ridge AZ, DMR Sedona Springs AZ, DMR Tucson 1166, and Tucson 1166 IG, as well as Dasmen Residential and Luxford Living.
"All Arizona residents who enter into rental agreements deserve living conditions that meet minimal standards of habitability," said Attorney General Mayes. "The ongoing neglect Dasmen Residential and Luxford Living continue to display by failing to supply adequate air conditioning to residents at Sedona Springs, Sienna Ridge, and Summit Ridge puts residents' lives at serious risk, especially during extreme summer heat."
The complaint and application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction allege a pattern of neglect and deception by the owners and operators of Sedona Springs, Sienna Ridge, and Summit Ridge dating back to at least 2023.
This summer alone, tenants at all three properties have struggled to cool their homes to the required Pima County standard of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or less. In fact, half of Sedona Springs has gone without central air of any kind since March. Those tenants have been left to rely on temporary, portable window units that often fail to cool more than one room in the apartments they pay to live in -- even as Arizona once again faces record-breaking summer temperatures. As a result, indoor temperatures at Sedona Springs, Sienna Ridge, and Summit Ridge have often exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Attorney General Mayes previously issued cease-and-desist letters to each of the properties in 2026, requiring the owners and operators to fix the ongoing habitability concerns. However, temporary fixes -- such as the previously installed window units -- have not proven adequate for all tenants.
The complaint alleges that all three complexes suffer from a pattern of neglect, including broken windows, water and gas issues, structural problems, and pest infestations -- none of which are disclosed to prospective tenants before they sign a lease. These practices potentially violate the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
Attorney General Mayes is seeking a permanent injunction requiring the owners and operators of all three properties to make necessary repairs to comply with Arizona law, as well as a permanent injunction barring the defendants from renting to Arizona consumers until their units meet legal requirements. The complaint also seeks restitution and civil penalties for the harm caused to residents.
If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, you can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General's website (https://us.list-manage.com/PGxrj06KbB8?e=b0dbe1a1e5&c2id=09345700d02fac819a23d47fdcb56250). If you need a complaint form sent to you, contact the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.
Attachments
2026-08-07 APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION (https://www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/2026-08/2026-08-07%20APPLICATION%20FOR%20TEMPORARY%20RESTRAINING%20ORDER%20AND%20PRELIMINARY%20INJUNCTION.pdf)
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Original text here: https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-sues-out-state-landlords-leaving-tucson-tenants-without-ac
