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Va. A.G. Jones Joins Multistate Opposition to Postal Service's Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights
RICHMOND, Virginia, July 9 -- Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Jones Joins Multistate Opposition to Postal Service's Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights
Attorney General Jones joined a multistate coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a formal comment letter opposing the United States Postal Service's attempt to aid the president's efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule and asking the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule.
"Mail-in voting is safe and fair
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RICHMOND, Virginia, July 9 -- Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Jones Joins Multistate Opposition to Postal Service's Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights
Attorney General Jones joined a multistate coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a formal comment letter opposing the United States Postal Service's attempt to aid the president's efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule and asking the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule.
"Mail-in voting is safe and fairunder Virginia's election laws. This refusal to rescind the proposed rule is a blatant attack on voting rights and part of a larger effort to create confusion and chaos ahead of the 2026 midterms," said Attorney General Jay Jones. "The people will not let these strikes on fundamental rights go without a fight and this office is ready to use every legal resource to stand up against federal overreach."
On March 31, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), an independent federal agency, to transmit mail ballots only to those on the list. In the order, the President threatened states and elections officials with criminal prosecution and the loss of federal funding if they do not comply with his demands.
A federal judge struck down that executive order in a lawsuit joined by Attorney General Jones, with the order applying to 24 states total. Nevertheless, the USPS has so far not rescinded its proposed rule to implement Trump's illegal executive order. Under the proposed rule, USPS would create a centralized list of voter information and would refuse to deliver ballots to any eligible voter who is not on that list, essentially giving the federal government control over elections conducted by mail.
In the comment letter, the attorneys general argue that this proposed rule violates the federal court's order, which enjoins the Postal Service from finalizing the proposed rule, and also amounts to an unconstitutional power grab by the federal government. The Constitution does not allow the President to unilaterally impose changes to federal election procedures, particularly without an act of Congress permitting him to do so. The attorneys general also argue the proposed rule conflicts with USPS's governing statutes and other federal voting laws.
The proposed rule would enact these unconstitutional changes before the 2026 election. Implementing these changes would require states to upend their existing election administration procedures for upcoming elections and conduct statewide voter education mere months before the beginning of mail voting for the 2026 general election. Such drastic and rapid changes would undoubtedly create confusion, chaos, and distrust in state election systems, threatening to disenfranchise eligible voters.
State and federal laws entitle all eligible voters to cast ballots and have their votes counted in state and federal elections. Voters of all parties, in all states, and of every background utilize mail-in voting -- including the President himself. This week's Supreme Court decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee reaffirmed states' authority to administer their elections, like permitting voters to cast ballots by mail.
The formal comment letter was led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, and they are joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
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Original text here: https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/3070-attorney-general-jones-joins-multistate-opposition-to-postal-services-attempt-to-undermine-voting-rights
Shopify Bans All E-Cigarette Sales as Utah A.G. Brown, 24 Colleagues Force Accountability
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 9 -- Utah Attorney General Derek Brown issued the following news on July 8, 2026:
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Shopify bans all e-cigarette sales as AG Brown, 24 colleagues force accountability
Attorney General Brown welcomed Shopify's decision to ban all vaping products from its e-commerce platform, a direct result of the November 2025 multistate demand for stronger safeguards.
E-cigarettes are highly addictive and pose significant health risks, particularly to youth, and are therefore subject to strict regulation. States in the coalition, and local governments within the states, have
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 9 -- Utah Attorney General Derek Brown issued the following news on July 8, 2026:
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Shopify bans all e-cigarette sales as AG Brown, 24 colleagues force accountability
Attorney General Brown welcomed Shopify's decision to ban all vaping products from its e-commerce platform, a direct result of the November 2025 multistate demand for stronger safeguards.
E-cigarettes are highly addictive and pose significant health risks, particularly to youth, and are therefore subject to strict regulation. States in the coalition, and local governments within the states, havepassed laws to restrict the sale of e-cigarettes.
"Our coalition of attorneys general asked Shopify to remove these dangerous products, and they did. They put young lives at risk, trading profit for addiction. We refuse to let e-commerce platforms profit off the addiction of our youth, and will fight to ensure that every other platform does what Shopify did," said Attorney General Derek Brown.
At the federal level, every new tobacco product, including an e-cigarette, must receive an order from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can be legally marketed or sold in the United States. To date, the FDA has authorized 45 specific e-cigarette products, all of which are for adult smokers only. E-cigarettes lacking FDA marketing approval, which include virtually all products sold by online sellers, are classified as "adulterated" under Federal law. Federal law prohibits the receipt or delivery in interstate commerce of adulterated tobacco products, making such sales on online platforms like Shopify unlawful.
The coalition included 25 attorneys general and the City of New York. Joining them were the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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Original text here: https://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/shopify-bans-ecigarettes/
S.D. Attorney General's Office, DCI to Investigate Officer Involved Shooting in Sioux Falls
PIERRE, South Dakota, July 9 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General's Office, DCI to Investigate Officer Involved Shooting in Sioux Falls
Attorney General Marty Jackley confirms that the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), at the request of the Sioux Falls Police Department, is investigating the officer involved shooting that occurred Tuesday, July 7, at about 10 p.m.
Sioux Falls Police officers responded to a call at a residence in the 3200 block of E. 20th Street. A person opened fire on the officers.
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PIERRE, South Dakota, July 9 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General's Office, DCI to Investigate Officer Involved Shooting in Sioux Falls
Attorney General Marty Jackley confirms that the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), at the request of the Sioux Falls Police Department, is investigating the officer involved shooting that occurred Tuesday, July 7, at about 10 p.m.
Sioux Falls Police officers responded to a call at a residence in the 3200 block of E. 20th Street. A person opened fire on the officers.One officer was injured and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The suspect, identified as James R Meyer, 55, of Sioux Falls, died at the scene
At the completion of the investigation, DCI will issue a case report and shooting summation to be reviewed by the Attorney General for a final determination on the officer's actions. The release of the summary is anticipated within 30 days.
This is the third Officer Involved Shooting in South Dakota this year.
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Original text here: https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3106
Okla. A.G. Drummond: Organized Crime Task Force Shuts Down 5 Illegal Marijuana Operations in Woodward
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, July 9 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Organized Crime Task Force shuts down 5 illegal marijuana operations in Woodward
Attorney General Gentner Drummond's Organized Crime Task Force shut down five illegal marijuana grow operations in Woodward last week across a two-day operation. Agents seized more than 30,000 marijuana plants and more than 200 pounds of processed marijuana.
As a result of the raids, six illegal immigrants were deported and one individual was arrested. Grow operations included
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, July 9 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Organized Crime Task Force shuts down 5 illegal marijuana operations in Woodward
Attorney General Gentner Drummond's Organized Crime Task Force shut down five illegal marijuana grow operations in Woodward last week across a two-day operation. Agents seized more than 30,000 marijuana plants and more than 200 pounds of processed marijuana.
As a result of the raids, six illegal immigrants were deported and one individual was arrested. Grow operations includedGreen Leaf LLC, 1111 Lakeview Drive; Purple Leaf LLC, 3000 8th St.; Green Manor LLC, 502 48th St.; Gold Leaf LLC, 43718 S. Country Rd. 206; and Silver Leaf LLC, 43790 S. County Rd. 206. Additionally, agents searched several apartments at Blue Sage Estates at 1215 Downs Ave.
"I appreciate the great work of my Organized Crime Task Force, which is finding and shutting down illegal grow operations on a regular basis all across Oklahoma," Drummond said. "We will continue to aggressively combat these criminal organizations until they are driven out of our state."
When Drummond took office in 2023, more than 9,000 licensed marijuana grows were located in Oklahoma. Today, fewer than 1,200 remain.
The Attorney General's Office worked in conjunction with the Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Woodward Police Department, the Woodward County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out the operations. Woodward County Commissioners assisted after the locations were secure.
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Original text here: https://oklahoma.gov/oag/news/newsroom/2026/july/organized-crime-task-force-shuts-down-5-illegal-marijuana-operations-in-woodward.html
Md. A.G. Brown Pushes Federal Government to Further Crackdown on Unlawful Robocalls
BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 9 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Pushes Federal Government to Further Crackdown on Unlawful Robocalls
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a bipartisan coalition of 48 other attorneys general today called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen rules that would cut off scammers' access to legitimate telephone numbers. Without that access, scammers can't use real numbers to deceive and scam Americans. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 9 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Pushes Federal Government to Further Crackdown on Unlawful Robocalls
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and a bipartisan coalition of 48 other attorneys general today called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen rules that would cut off scammers' access to legitimate telephone numbers. Without that access, scammers can't use real numbers to deceive and scam Americans. The Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Forceasked the FCC to work on this issue in 2021, and members of this coalition are now responding to the FCC's proposed rules.
Last year, Americans received approximately 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts and lost nearly $2 billion to these scams. Scammers used to primarily "spoof" other people's phone numbers to make it look like a call was coming from a legitimate company or government agency. But scammers can't easily do this anymore after state attorneys general and the federal government took action to cut down on unlawful spoofing. Now, scammers often purchase legitimate phone numbers and use them to make robocalls. While most legitimate businesses have the same phone number for many years, scammers cycle through millions of brand-new phone numbers, which helps them avoid detection by spam filters. It is estimated that U.S. consumers received more than 52 billion unlawful robocalls in 2025.
In addition to the steps the FCC is already taking, the bipartisan attorneys general are asking the federal government to do more, including:
* Require every company that is authorized to purchase and then resell phone numbers in North America to meet stronger certification rules and share how and to whom they are assigning numbers.
* Require these companies to submit regular reports about the sale and use of numbers, so law enforcement can trace unlawful robocalls back to the source. These reports will also help law enforcement hold all the companies in the call path accountable for selling or transmitting numbers used to conduct unlawful robocalls.
* Require people and entities that are applying to access phone numbers to confirm that they won't use them to make unlawful robocalls.
* Block the sale of phone numbers to entities that aren't tied to a calling or texting service. Scammers often buy these numbers without linking them to a legitimate phone service, since they don't plan on using the numbers for legitimate calling and texting purposes.
* Prohibit number cycling, which is when an entity buys many numbers and then uses them on a rotating, sometimes single-use basis to avoid being detected by tools that flag numbers used to make unlawful robocalls.
* Restrict the offering of trial numbers to discourage scammers from taking advantage of them to harm consumers.
Attorney General Brown is joined in signing the letter by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General%c2%a0Brown%c2%a0Pushes-Federal-Government-to-Further-Crackdown-on%c2%a0Unlawful%c2%a0Robocalls%c2%a0.aspx
Md. A.G. Brown Announces $45 Million Multistate Settlement With Block Inc. Over Deceptive Practices on Cash App
BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 9 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Announces $45 Million Multistate Settlement with Block Inc. Over Deceptive Practices on Cash App
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind the popular peer-to-peer payment app Cash App. The settlement resolves allegations that Block misled consumers about the security of Cash App, failed to protect users from fraud on the platform, and didn't provide the fraud
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BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 9 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Attorney General Brown Announces $45 Million Multistate Settlement with Block Inc. Over Deceptive Practices on Cash App
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind the popular peer-to-peer payment app Cash App. The settlement resolves allegations that Block misled consumers about the security of Cash App, failed to protect users from fraud on the platform, and didn't provide the fraudprotection and resolution process that it promised and that was required by law.
"Cash App failed to protect its users from fraud and then made it nearly impossible for victims to recover what they lost," said Attorney General Brown. "This settlement strengthens the company's fraud and dispute resolution practices: protections that Maryland consumers deserve when they trust a business with their money."
The Attorney General accused Block of telling Cash App users their money was safe, falsely implying that their app provided similar protections to a bank. At the same time, the Attorney General alleges Block knew that fraudulent activity on its platform was rising sharply and instead of warning users or strengthening protections, it doubled down on its marketing.
For years, Block actively promoted direct deposits of paychecks and government benefits into Cash App. It made a particular push to reach unbanked and underbanked consumers - people who would often rely on Cash App as their primary financial account, and who were especially vulnerable to fraud. Block grew its user base without making sure it could support those users when problems arose.
Block agreed to pay the coalition of state attorneys general $45 million. The settlement also provides for a $75 to $120 million restitution program for consumers who were the victims of fraud to seek redress. That program is to be run by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) through a prior settlement with that agency but provides the attorneys general authority to administer the same redress program instead of the CFPB if necessary.
Under the settlement, Block has also agreed to injunctive terms to address the security of its payment platform for consumers, including to:
* Maintain customer support that can resolve fraud complaints, account lockouts, and other problems.
* Offer live support 24 hours a day, with a human available by phone at least 13.5 hours a day and by live chat at least 18 hours a day.
* Stop making false or misleading claims about Cash App's safety and how it protects users from fraud.
* Discontinue marketing practices known to increase fraud on the platform.
* Directly educate consumers about common types of fraud.
* Fulfill its legal obligations to investigate fraud claims and reimburse users for unauthorized transactions.
The state attorneys general that joined Attorney General Brown in today's settlement are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Consumers who wish to obtain more information about the redress program can go to: https://cashappcfpbsettlement.com/Home/Contact or call (888) 832-1301 (toll-free).
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Original text here: https://oag.maryland.gov/News/pages/Attorney-General-Brown-Announces--Million-Multistate-Settlement-with-Block-Inc.-Over-Deceptive-Practices-on-Cash-App.aspx
Ga. A.G. Carr Secures Major Win in Defense of DA Oversight Committee
ATLANTA, Georgia, July 9 -- Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Carr Secures Major Win in Defense of DA Oversight Committee
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today issued the following statement on the Court's decision to uphold SB 92, critical legislation that establishes the creation of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission (PAQC).
"We commend Judge Whitaker's strong decision, and we're proud to have defended the PAQC's efforts. When an elected prosecutor fails to do their job, crime goes up and victims are denied justice.
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ATLANTA, Georgia, July 9 -- Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued the following news release on July 8, 2026:
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Carr Secures Major Win in Defense of DA Oversight Committee
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today issued the following statement on the Court's decision to uphold SB 92, critical legislation that establishes the creation of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission (PAQC).
"We commend Judge Whitaker's strong decision, and we're proud to have defended the PAQC's efforts. When an elected prosecutor fails to do their job, crime goes up and victims are denied justice.With this win, we have made clear that DAs who choose to ignore the law will not be immune from accountability."
After SB 92 was passed and signed into law in 2023, the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney, the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney, and others filed suit in an attempt to block the PAQC's operations.
Carr's office defended the law, and on July 8, 2026, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker granted summary judgment to the State.
Read the order (https://law.georgia.gov/document/document/070826-final-orderpdf/download)
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Original text here: https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-07-08/carr-secures-major-win-defense-da-oversight-committee
