Featured Stories
Statement From A.G. Torrez on Final Judgment in State of New Mexico vs. Meta
SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 7 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following statement on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Statement from Attorney General Raul Torrez on Final Judgment in State of New Mexico vs. Meta
Today's ruling marks a landmark victory for the people of New Mexico and for families across the country.
"This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world's largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence," said Attorney General Raul Torrez.
"Today's
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SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 7 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following statement on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Statement from Attorney General Raul Torrez on Final Judgment in State of New Mexico vs. Meta
Today's ruling marks a landmark victory for the people of New Mexico and for families across the country.
"This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world's largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence," said Attorney General Raul Torrez.
"Today'sdecision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online."
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Original text here: https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/statement-from-attorney-general-raul-torrez-on-final-judgment-in-state-of-new-mexico-v-meta/
S.D. A.G. Jackley Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 7 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that he is joining 14 other Attorneys General in urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act, which the coalition calls critical legislation that would help to prosecute the organized crime rings that are robbing ATMs nationwide.
Currently, federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks and
... Show Full Article
PIERRE, South Dakota, Aug. 7 -- South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Jackley Urges Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that he is joining 14 other Attorneys General in urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act, which the coalition calls critical legislation that would help to prosecute the organized crime rings that are robbing ATMs nationwide.
Currently, federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks andfinancial institutions, but it does not provide the same consistent protection for ATMs, particularly those located away from bank branches. The Safe Access to Cash Act would modernize the Federal Bank Robbery Act of 1934 to ensure crimes involving off-site and standalone ATMs can be prosecuted as federal offenses, including those located at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, malls, and other community locations.
"Bad actors who target ATMs through threats and violence should be held to the same standards as those who rob banks," said Attorney General Marty Jackley. "Congress needs to update federal law to meet this emerging threat."
Other Attorneys General who are part of the coalition are from: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
Safe Access to Cash Act Letter (https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3127)
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Original text here: https://atg.sd.gov/OurOffice/Media/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=3127
Okla. A.G. Drummond Leads Coalition Warning Federal Contempt Ruling Could Reach State Courts
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Aug. 7 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Drummond leads coalition warning federal contempt ruling could reach state courts
Attorney General Gentner Drummond today led a coalition of 11 states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief asking the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear the contempt-of-Congress case against a former White House adviser. Peter Navarro was convicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6,
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Aug. 7 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Drummond leads coalition warning federal contempt ruling could reach state courts
Attorney General Gentner Drummond today led a coalition of 11 states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief asking the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear the contempt-of-Congress case against a former White House adviser. Peter Navarro was convicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6,2021, Capitol riot.
A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit ruled in Navarro's case last month that a witness can be convicted of contempt simply for deliberately refusing to comply with a subpoena, even if he mistakenly believed a legal privilege excused him from complying.
"This ruling will have a trickle-down effect on how Oklahoma courts read our own laws," Drummond said. "Oklahoma's Legislature write its rules down in plain text more than a century ago. It defined the mental state and built-in protections for witnesses who raise honest objections. Congress never made that choice, and a court should not make it for Congress. No American should face prison because a court, rather than a legislature, decided what 'willfully' means."
Navarro has petitioned for rehearing en banc, asking all the court's judges to hear his appeal. The amicus brief supports that request and argues the panel misread the word "willfully" in the federal contempt statute. It warns the error won't stay confined to Washington, D.C., since state courts look to federal rulings when interpreting their own legislative-contempt laws. Drummond argues the panel's decision could reshape how states punish witnesses who defy legislative subpoenas, not just how the federal government does.
States joining Oklahoma in the brief include Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
Read the Brief (https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/oag/news-documents/2026/august/Navarro_Amicus.pdf)
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Original text here: https://oklahoma.gov/oag/news/newsroom/2026/august/drummond-leads-coalition-warning-federal-contempt-ruling-could-reach-state-courts.html
N.M. A.G. Torrez Files Petition to Intervene in Crownpoint Licensing Matter to Protect New Mexico's Groundwater
SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 7 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Raul Torrez Files Petition to Intervene in Crownpoint Licensing Matter to Protect New Mexico's Groundwater
Albuquerque, NM -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez today announced that the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) has filed a petition to intervene in a licensing renewal matter before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that could restart uranium mining and processing at Crownpoint and Church Rock, New Mexico.
"Protecting the
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SANTA FE, New Mexico, Aug. 7 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Raul Torrez Files Petition to Intervene in Crownpoint Licensing Matter to Protect New Mexico's Groundwater
Albuquerque, NM -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez today announced that the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) has filed a petition to intervene in a licensing renewal matter before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that could restart uranium mining and processing at Crownpoint and Church Rock, New Mexico.
"Protecting thegroundwater that we rely on for drinking, bathing, and household and agricultural use is a very real priority for every New Mexican," said Attorney General Raul Torrez. "Any new uranium mining in our state must be carried out to the highest environmental standards to ensure that our water supply is protected for all New Mexicans. Crownpoint and Church Rock are already burdened by the environmental impacts of historic uranium mining and clean up from previous operations. We have an obligation to break this cycle of toxic environmental impact."
NuFuels, Inc. (NuFuels), which is a subsidiary of Laramide Resources, is seeking to restart uranium mining and processing at two locations in McKinley, County-Crownpoint and Church Rock. NuFuels holds the only NRC license for uranium mining in New Mexico and under the renewed license intends to produce three million pounds of triuranium octoxide (commonly known as "yellowcake") each year for up to twenty years. Unlike historic mining in the area, NuFuels plans to use "in situ recovery" methods (also called in situ leaching or solution mining) at the Crownpoint Uranium Project, which is located on four sites spanning Bureau of Land Management, Navajo Nation, and private lands.
In its petition to intervene, the NMDOJ argued to the NRC that NuFuels' license application must demonstrate that long-term remediation from in situ recovery mining is technically and scientifically feasible. Specifically, the NMDOJ argued that NuFuels must:
* Comply with New Mexico's high water-quality standards and state permitting processes.
* Show they have the financial capital to cover future costs including remediation and cleanup.
* Explain more completely how it will abide by and comply with all relevant federal, state, and tribal laws, regulations, and agreements.
The NMDOJ also highlighted in its petition that NuFuels is relying on an environmental justice impact analysis that is over 25 years old and it has failed to adequately explain the impact of historic mine workings on the flow of groundwater through the Westwater Canyon aquifer and the efficacy of monitoring wells.
Copy of the petition to intervene before the NRC (https://nmdoj.gov/wp-content/uploads/State-of-New-Mexico-Petition-FINAL.pdf)
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Original text here: https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/attorney-general-raul-torrez-files-petition-to-intervene-in-crownpoint-licensing-matter-to-protect-new-mexicos-groundwater/
N.J. A.G. Davenport Opposes Predatory Lender OppFi's Bid for National Bank Charter
TRENTON, New Jersey, Aug. 7 -- New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport Opposes Predatory Lender OppFi's Bid for National Bank Charter
OppFi Acquisition of BNC National Bank Would Erode Consumer Lending Protections
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general demanding that the Trump Administration deny Opportunity Financials' (OppFi) application to acquire and merge with BNC National Bank, which would grant OppFi a national bank charter and enable the company
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TRENTON, New Jersey, Aug. 7 -- New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport Opposes Predatory Lender OppFi's Bid for National Bank Charter
OppFi Acquisition of BNC National Bank Would Erode Consumer Lending Protections
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general demanding that the Trump Administration deny Opportunity Financials' (OppFi) application to acquire and merge with BNC National Bank, which would grant OppFi a national bank charter and enable the companyto circumvent longstanding state lending laws that protect consumers from payday loan companies.
The coalition sent the letters to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), urging the agencies to deny the application.
In their letters, Attorney General Davenport and the coalition argue if OppFi gains a national bank charter and becomes a bank holding company, it would create an exponential increase of unaffordable, high-cost loans that would pose significant safety concerns for consumers, small businesses, and the entire banking system. OppFi would also be able to circumvent important state laws that protect consumers from such high-interest loans and leave state attorneys general with little to no recourse in fighting back.
"New Jersey's usury laws are designed to shield borrowers from predatory lenders that want to exploit the affordability crisis with expensive and unaffordable loan products," said Attorney General Davenport. "Granting a bank charter to OppFi would give it a permission slip to violate our laws, and I won't allow triple-digit interest rates on borrowers who can least afford them."
"OppFi has not demonstrated the responsible lending practices we should expect from publicly insured banks," said Christopher Peterson, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. "Our federal regulators must not legitimize and facilitate predatory debt traps."
OppFi is an online lender that targets consumers with financial struggles or low credit scores and offers installment loans with interest rates reaching nearly 200% APR, leading to high rates of default or refinancing. In order to evade state laws that prohibit these excessively high interest rates, OppFi engages in rent-a-bank partnerships with state-charted banks in Utah, a state that does not have a hard interest rate cap. OppFi then exports those interest rates allowed in Utah across state lines in order to evade other states' laws. In New Jersey, it is a violation of civil usury law to issue written contracts for consumer loans under $50,000 with APRs above 16%. New Jersey's criminal usury laws are triggered for any loans to individuals above 30% per year.
To expand its high-cost lending and avoid legal challenges to rent-a-bank partnerships, OppFi now seeks to acquire and merge with nationally chartered BNC National Bank to gain a national bank charter. This would allow OppFi to take advantage of the National Bank Act's provision allowing nationally chartered banks to charge the maximum interest rate permitted in their home state. This would give OppFi free license to bypass state rate caps and offer its triple-digit interest loans throughout the country
This is not New Jersey's first challenge to rent-a-bank partnerships. In 2021, New Jersey sued the Trump Administration's True Lender Rule, which would have granted broad authority to predatory lenders to evade state interest rate caps. President Biden repealed the True Lender Rule in 2021.
Joining Attorney General Davenport in sending these letters are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Federal Reserve Comment Letter (https://www.njoag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-0806_OppFi-FedReserveLtr.pdf) | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Letter (https://www.njoag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-0806_OCC_OppFi-Comment-Letter_Final.pdf)
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INFODOC: https://www.njoag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-0806_OCC_OppFi-Comment-Letter_Final.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.njoag.gov/attorney-general-jennifer-davenport-opposes-predatory-lender-oppfis-bid-for-national-bank-charter/
N.H. A.G. Formella: Former State Trooper Pleads Guilty to False Reports to Law Enforcement
CONCORD, New Hampshire, Aug. 7 -- New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Former State Trooper Pleads Guilty to False Reports to Law Enforcement
Attorney General John M. Formella announces that former New Hampshire State Police Trooper James Lamoureux (age 43) of Keene, New Hampshire, has pled guilty in Keene District Court to one count of False Reports to Law Enforcement, contrary to RSA 641:4.
As part of a negotiated resolution, Mr. Lamoureux will be sentenced to six months in the House of Corrections, fully suspended for two years.
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CONCORD, New Hampshire, Aug. 7 -- New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Former State Trooper Pleads Guilty to False Reports to Law Enforcement
Attorney General John M. Formella announces that former New Hampshire State Police Trooper James Lamoureux (age 43) of Keene, New Hampshire, has pled guilty in Keene District Court to one count of False Reports to Law Enforcement, contrary to RSA 641:4.
As part of a negotiated resolution, Mr. Lamoureux will be sentenced to six months in the House of Corrections, fully suspended for two years.Mr. Lamoureux will immediately resign from the New Hampshire State Police and will surrender his New Hampshire Law Enforcement Certification. As a result, he will be placed on the national registry of decertified officers. In addition, Mr. Lamoureux is prohibited from seeking future employment as a law enforcement officer.
The State's investigation found that Mr. Lamoureux placed GPS tracking devices on a vehicle regularly used by his then-girlfriend, C.F., as well as on his own vehicle, and downloaded a tracking application to his phone.
After C.F. confronted him, Mr. Lamoureux falsely told the Keene Police Department that he believed others had placed the devices on the vehicles, even though he knew he had installed them himself. He later asked an acquaintance to provide false information concerning the tracking devices to the Keene Police Department.
Investigators from the New Hampshire Department of Justice investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Keene Police Department. Senior Assistant Attorney General Alexander J. Kellermann of the Public Integrity & White-Collar Crime Unit prosecuted the case.
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Original text here: https://www.doj.nh.gov/news-and-media/former-state-trooper-pleads-guilty-false-reports-law-enforcement
Ga. A.G. Carr Leads 15-State Coalition Urging Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 7 -- Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Carr Leads 15-State Coalition Urging Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
Attorney General Chris Carr is leading a 15-state coalition in urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act (S. 3798/H.R. 1631), critical legislation that would help to prosecute the organized crime rings that are robbing ATMs nationwide.
Currently, federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks and financial institutions, but it does not provide the
... Show Full Article
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 7 -- Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued the following news release on Aug. 6, 2026:
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Carr Leads 15-State Coalition Urging Congress to Strengthen Federal Penalties for ATM Robberies
Attorney General Chris Carr is leading a 15-state coalition in urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act (S. 3798/H.R. 1631), critical legislation that would help to prosecute the organized crime rings that are robbing ATMs nationwide.
Currently, federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks and financial institutions, but it does not provide thesame consistent protection for ATMs, particularly those located away from bank branches. The Safe Access to Cash Act would modernize the Federal Bank Robbery Act of 1934 to ensure crimes involving off-site and standalone ATMs can be prosecuted as federal offenses, including those located at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, malls, and other community locations.
"We have to ensure our officers and prosecutors have the tools they need to address new and emerging threats, and that includes the organized crime rings that are targeting ATMs nationwide," said Carr. "For many seniors and rural residents, the nearest ATM is at the gas station or convenience store, but these continued attacks are putting lives and livelihoods at risk. That's why we're pushing for this commonsense legislation that will help to combat these criminal networks - protecting small businesses and consumers."
The Safe Access to Cash Act would complement the work of state and local law enforcement by creating a clear and consistent framework for prosecutions when ATM crimes involve interstate conduct, organized criminal networks, or repeated attacks across multiple jurisdictions. This bill would also close the loophole in federal law for robbing a person who is using an ATM by covering ATM theft and destruction, as well as adding additional criminal penalties - ensuring that off premises ATMs in public settings are treated the same as bank branch ATMs.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the Safe Access to Cash Act in March 2026.
This Georgia-led effort was also joined by the attorneys general of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
Read a copy of the letter (https://law.georgia.gov/document/document/state-ags-safe-access-cash-act-support-letter-08-06-26pdf--UNPUBLISHED-document--DO-NOT-SHARE-this-URL--/download).
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Original text here: https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-08-06/carr-leads-15-state-coalition-urging-congress-strengthen-federal
