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.

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Prediction Market Updates

Prediction Markets Company’s Preemptive Lawsuits Aim to Carve Out a Federal Safe Harbor for Prediction Markets

By Stephen C. Piepgrass and Ayana Brown

On March 11, Kalshi filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against Attorney General (AG) Brenna Bird and members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Kalshi’s complaint asks the court to declare that the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) “exclusive jurisdiction” over trading on designated contract markets preempt Iowa’s gambling and election‑wagering provisions as applied to Kalshi’s event contracts. Kalshi has filed similar preemptive suits in other states.

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Arizona Files First-Ever Criminal Suit Against Kalshi

By Stephen C. Piepgrass and Ayana Brown

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed against Kalshi what appears to be the first criminal case in the U.S. against a federally regulated prediction market platform. The state alleges Kalshi is operating an illegal gambling enterprise and facilitating unlawful election wagering by Arizona residents.

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Multistate AG News

Federal Approval Is No Safe Harbor: State AGs Redefine Merger Risk in Trump 2.0 as 8 States Sue to Block $6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Merger

By Daniel Anziska, Clayton Friedman, Christy Matelis, and Brad Smutek

On March 19, 2026, a group of eight state attorneys general (AGs) filed a lawsuit to block the $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc. by Nexstar Media Group, two of the largest American broadcast companies. The suit came after federal regulators cleared the transaction, sharpening an increasing divide between the administration and states’ views on the same transactions.

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Single State AG News

Alabama Enacts App Store Accountability Act Requiring Age Verification and Parental Consent

By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

States including Texas, Utah, Louisiana, and California have begun shifting children’s online safety obligations from individual apps and websites to app stores and operating systems. Alabama has now joined that trend. These laws generally require centralized age checks, parental consent tracking, and tighter coordination between app stores and developers, and they are already generating litigation risk, including a pending First Amendment challenge to the Texas statute.

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Trucking and Delivery Company Settles New Jersey Worker Misclassification Allegations

By Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General Team

PDX North, Inc. (PDX), a last-mile automotive parts distribution company, recently settled with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) and New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG) (collectively, the state) to resolve allegations that PDX violated New Jersey’s worker classification laws.

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AG of the Week

Russell Coleman, Kentucky

Russell Coleman was elected Kentucky’s 52nd attorney general on November 7, 2023.

He has spent most of his career in public service, including as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, where he served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for 53 counties.

He previously was a partner at a law firm, a prosecutor in the Oldham Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and legal counsel to a U.S. senator.

A former FBI special agent, he was assigned to multiple field offices, and served a temporary assignment in Iraq.

Coleman was raised in Graves, Daviess, and Logan counties, graduating from Logan County High School. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kentucky.

He lives in Oldham County with his wife, Ashley, and their three children.

Kentucky AG in the News:

• Coleman announced that, following his leadership of a multistate effort, the DEA and Trump administration have classified the dangerous “Designer Xanax” drug bromazolam as a Schedule I controlled substance, creating a nationwide ban to help law enforcement combat its lethal impact.  
• Coleman’s Office of Consumer Protection obtained a court order shutting down “Your Hometown Heroes, Inc.” for falsely posing as veterans to solicit donations, imposing $421,000 in contempt fines, permanently barring the organization from charitable or fundraising activities in Kentucky, and revoking its authority to do business in the state.  
• Coleman announced that the Kentucky Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the General Assembly’s 2023 ban on “gray machines,” affirming the law’s legality.

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Upcoming AG Events

• April: NAAG | Annual Meeting | Charleston, SC  
• April: AGA | International Delegation | TBD  
• May: RAGA | ERC Retreat | Sea Island, GA  

For more on upcoming AG Events, click here.

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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.