An Educational Resource on the Office of State Attorney General
Going beyond the headlines to examine the often overlooked issues and cases that highlight the wide-ranging impact and role of state attorneys general.
Because enforcement of state labor laws is often done by a number of agencies (attorney general, labor department, civil rights divisions, etc.), it is often difficult to keep track of them. The National Employment Law Project is an excellent resource for following all labor law issues including those by attorneys general.
On Labor Day, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced an enhanced initiative in continuing her states's long commitment to enforce her state's labor laws. Because these matters are increasingly taking on a multistate component, other attorneys general will be watching closely.
Attorneys General and consumer advocates have long believed that payday lending exploits low income citizens while the industry alleges that payday loans fill a vital credit need for those with no savings. This post by the Journalist Report at the Kennedy School both summarizes the CFPB's payday initiative as well as providing links to recent research.
See: Journalist's Resource, Do payday loans exploit poor people? Research review
Far from the headlines, 13,000 career lawyers work in offices of attorneys general. This profile of Utah Assistant Attorney General Nicole Lowe, who works in the Child Protection Division, is one of them, and this is her story.
See: FOX13now.com, Formerly homeless mother now an attorney helping youth in need
A string of high publicity shootings by police officers has led to a nationwide soul-searching reexamination as to how these cases are investigated and prosecuted. The concern that local prosecutors are "too close" to these emotional cases has led an increasing number of states to consider having the state attorney general handle these matters. Long the way it has been done in many states (Maine, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Wisconsin), others are following suit (New York) or considering doing so as evidenced by a recent Report from the Ohio Supreme Court.
See: The Columbus Dispatch, Task force: Attorney general should handle fatal police use of force cases
During last June's NAAG Meeting, former Tn. AG Mike Cody gave a moving address on his time representing the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the sanitation worker strike in Memphis in 1968. It is well worth watching.
See: “King at the Mountain Top: The Representation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, April 3-4, 1968” by NatlAssnAttysGen on Vimeo.
StateAG.org offers in-depth analysis of the role of state attorneys general in the American legal system. It was founded by James E. Tierney, former Attorney General of Maine and a Lecturer at Harvard Law School where he also directs the Harvard Attorney General clinic. For thirteen years he was Director of the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School.
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