State AGs Reshape Enforcement Landscape Across Consumer, Antitrust, and Tech
In-house counsel must recalibrate compliance and litigation playbooks as bipartisan state AG coalitions pursue aggressive enforcement in consumer protection, antitrust, DEI, AI, and pricing—often filling gaps left by federal agencies.
State attorneys general have emerged as primary enforcement actors, backed by expanded budgets, staffing, and an influx of experienced federal lawyers. Democratic AGs are litigating against the Trump administration—filing 115+ suits since January 2025—and stepping into consumer finance, pricing, and environmental enforcement as federal agencies like the CFPB face cuts. New York and California have launched investigations into algorithmic and surveillance pricing, while multistate coalitions have challenged tariffs, energy-permitting executive orders, and CFPB defunding. Republican AGs are aligning with federal priorities, issuing opinions deeming DEI programs unlawful and pursuing data privacy, ESG, and antitrust actions independently. Bipartisan coalitions are converging on youth online safety, AI, PBMs, and prediction markets. Companies should expect overlapping state and federal exposure, monitor coalition compositions, and prepare for parallel investigations across jurisdictions.