Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Monitor – January 22, 2026

State attorneys general increasingly impact businesses in all industries. Our nationally recognized state AG team has been trusted by clients for more than 20 years to navigate their most complicated state AG investigations and enforcement actions.

State Attorneys General Monitor analyzes regulatory actions by state AGs and other state administrative agencies throughout the nation. Contributors to this newsletter and related blog include attorneys experienced in regulatory enforcement, litigation, and compliance. Also visit our State Attorneys General Monitor microsite.

Contact our State AG Team at StateAG@troutman.com.

Troutman Pepper Locke Spotlight

2025 State AG Year in Review

By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

State attorneys general (AGs) are among the most active and influential regulators in the U.S., using broad statutory authority, political visibility, and growing technical knowledge to shape policy and enforcement across sectors. In 2025, they asserted their authority to shape the legal and regulatory environment across the U.S. through aggressive and coordinated action. Despite changing regulatory and political priorities, AGs continued to respond quickly to constituent concerns, tested new legal theories, and coordinated across state lines — often stepping in where federal oversight has receded or taken a different course. Their ability to act nimbly at the intersection of law, politics, and public policy ensures that state AGs will remain central players in the regulatory landscape in 2026 and beyond.

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Single State AG News

Colorado AG Fines Cannabis Company for Violating Prior Settlement

By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team, Agustin Rodriguez, and Nick Ramos

On January 5, 2026, Colorado Attorney General (AG) Phil Weiser announced that MC Global Holdings and affiliated persons and entities (collectively, MC) had been fined for allegedly violating the terms of a May 2025 assurance of discontinuance. The defendants, who are engaged in manufacturing, packaging, labeling, distributing, and/or selling industrial hemp products under the brand Vivimu, agreed to a fine of $575,000, of which $500,000 will be suspended as long as they comply with the terms of the new agreement.

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Texas AG Settles Lawsuit That Cracked Down on COVID-Era Egg Prices
By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

On January 15, Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton announced that the state had settled its long-running lawsuit against Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. over the prices that the company charged for eggs in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, Cal-Maine avoided making any monetary payment as part of the settlement, instead agreeing to donate more than two million eggs to Texas food banks.

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South Dakota AG Proposes Legislation to Authorize Seizure of Digital Currency
By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

On January 6, South Dakota Attorney General (AG) Marty Jackley announced a package of proposed legislation to modernize various aspects of the state’s criminal statutes. Among the proposals is a bill that would expressly authorize law enforcement to seize cryptocurrency as part of a criminal investigation. The measure reflects a growing concern that digital currency occupies a central role in much criminal activity and that legislation may be necessary in some jurisdictions to address those concerns.

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AG of the Week

Raúl Torrez, New Mexico

Raúl Torrez is the 32nd attorney general (AG) of New Mexico, sworn in on January 1, 2023. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Torrez attended Harvard University, the London School of Economics, and Stanford Law School. He began his legal career in New Mexico, serving as an assistant district attorney, assistant attorney general, and later as Bernalillo County district attorney from 2017 to 2022. Torrez also served as a federal prosecutor and was appointed as a White House fellow and senior advisor in President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice, where he worked on reducing border violence, combating drug cartels, and addressing violent crime and domestic abuse in Indian Country.

As AG, Torrez has focused on fighting crime, protecting consumers, defending constitutional rights, and advocating for children. He has led efforts to increase transparency in the criminal justice system, including making police misconduct information public and piloting programs for demographic transparency. Torrez has filed numerous lawsuits to protect New Mexicans, including actions against corporate polluters, defending reproductive rights, and launching the state’s first Cold Case Unit to deliver justice for families. He has also taken on tech companies for enabling online abuse and led a bipartisan effort to modernize consumer protection laws.

Torrez resides in Albuquerque with his wife, Nasha, and their two children.

New Mexico AG in the News:

• Torrez announced proposed landmark legislation, the Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act (AI2A), which would create New Mexico’s first comprehensive framework for generative AI and synthetic media. It would require digital markers and provenance tools, empower the AG to enforce violations and impose civil penalties and enhanced sentencing, and aims to increase transparency and protect individuals from AI-enabled harm while preserving free speech and innovation.

• Torrez has sued three individuals and their network of companies for allegedly using shell corporations and bankruptcy to evade legal obligations to plug and remediate hundreds of inactive oil and gas wells in New Mexico, causing significant methane pollution, health risks, and costs to taxpayers.

• Torrez joined a coalition of AGs in suing the Trump administration to block Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Russell Vought’s effort to completely defund the CFPB by refusing to request Federal Reserve funding, a move that would shut down the agency.

Upcoming AG Events

• January: AGA | Human Trafficking Training | Virtual

• February: RAGA | Victory Fund Retreat | Big Sky, MT

• February: DAGA | Policy Conference | San Francisco, CA

For more on upcoming AG Events, click here.

Troutman Pepper Locke’s State Attorneys General team combines legal acumen and government experience to develop comprehensive, thoughtful strategies for clients. Our attorneys handle individual and multistate AG investigations, proactive counseling and litigation, and manage ancillary regulatory issues. Our successful approach has been recognized by Chambers USA, which ranked our practice as a leader in the industry.

Our Cannabis Practice provides advice on issues related to applicable federal and state law. Marijuana remains an illegal controlled substance under federal law.