LEGAL NEWSLINE

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) public transit system in Philadelphia, as mandated by Pennsylvania Act 40 of 2023.

On June 14, 2024, Special Master Mary Patrice Brown announced that she will authorize fifth-round payments for all eligible claims in the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (the Fund) by January 1, 2025. The Fund, which continues to collect deposits, anticipates that the fifth distribution will be at least $940 million. The amounts available for this distribution come from qualifying federal enforcement actions, including United States v. Binance Holdings Limited.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a stay from the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) halting Harris County's "guaranteed income" program, known as "Uplift Harris," which he claims violates the Texas Constitution.

A Florida appellate court has upheld Attorney General Kathy Jennings' authority to continue advocating for funding for Nemours Children’s Hospital.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha issued a statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in Garland v. Cargill to strike down a federal gun safety regulation. "In 2017, thousands gathered in Las Vegas to attend a country music festival, during which a gunman opened fire on the crowd killing 60 people and injuring more than 850 – the worst mass shooting in American history. Several of the shooter’s firearms were fitted with bump stocks that allowed him to fire approximately 90 rounds in 10 seconds and more than 1,000 rounds in total. Today, the Supreme Court struck down a...

Three Florida residents pleaded guilty today to conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate employees of pregnancy resource centers in the free exercise of the right to provide and seek reproductive health services. The defendants targeted reproductive health facilities that provided and counseled abortion alternatives and vandalized those facilities with threatening messages.

Judge Grant Dorfman, who served as the Deputy First Assistant Attorney General since December 2020, has left the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) after more than three years of service. He has been nominated by Governor Greg Abbott to serve as a judge on Texas’s newly established Eleventh Business Court Division in Houston.

LANSING – As part of a bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a letter sent by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) to Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. The Act was sponsored by Rep. Langworthy and co-sponsored by a bipartisan 16-member coalition.

Attorney General William Tong issued a statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Garland v. Cargill, which challenged the federal ban on bump stocks. In a 6-3 decision, the Court determined that a bump stock did not meet the statutory definition of a machinegun. The ruling was not based on a Second Amendment challenge.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana has issued a preliminary injunction against new Title IX rules proposed by President Biden’s Department of Education. The ruling, in favor of Attorney General Raúl Labrador and the attorneys general from Louisiana, Montana, and Mississippi, halts the implementation of rules that would require schools to allow students access to bathrooms and locker rooms inconsistent with their sex.

The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) has granted a review of the lower court decision that has allowed disciplinary actions by the State Bar of Texas against First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster to proceed.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey testified before the House Judiciary Committee on June 13 to address what he described as the legally questionable political prosecution of President Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. This testimony occurred two weeks after Bragg secured a conviction against Trump.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has released police body-worn camera footage obtained as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of Courtney Gordon. Gordon died on December 3, 2023, following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens.

America First Legal (AFL), in collaboration with co-counsel Christopher Mills, has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The brief pertains to the case State of Tennessee, et al., v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, et al., and argues in favor of granting Tennessee’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the Biden Administration's efforts to extend Title VII protections to include "gender identity."

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul has charged a Cook County woman with allegedly receiving thousands of dollars from multiple fraudulent COVID-19 unemployment assistance claims and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application for a non-existent business.

A Gallia County man who worked for a cell phone repair business has been indicted after an investigation found that he downloaded private photos from his clients’ phones, including the phones of minors, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will make its Election Protection Hotline available for the upcoming June 25, 2024 primary election and during New York’s early voting period, which runs from Saturday, June 15 through Sunday, June 23. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters, including problems with voting absentee, by early mail ballot, or in-person at their polling place. A guide addressing frequently asked questions is also currently available to assist...

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced charges against numerous members and associates of the “SaySlide” criminal organization, from the Ogontz and Oak Lane neighborhoods in Philadelphia, who allegedly used violence to perpetrate a theft and fraud scheme targeting United States Postal Service drop boxes. These charges follow a month-long Grand Jury investigation.

Rosie Hidalgo, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), delivered a message for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2024. The event aims to raise awareness about the abuse and neglect faced by older adults.

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the arrest of Katrina Criswell, 47, and Lakeyia Alexander, 29, both Cotton Plant city employees, on charges of Theft of Property, classified as D Felonies.