Supreme Court Report: Nance v. Ward, 21-439
February 3, 2022 Volume 29, Issue 7 This Report summarizes an opinion issued on January 20, 2022 (Part I); and cases granted review on January 14, 2022 (Part II). Cases Granted Review: Nance v. Ward, 21-439 Nance v. Ward, 21-439. This case raises the question of which procedural vehicle a capital inmate must use—an action…
Supreme Court Report: Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 21-418
February 14, 2022 Volume 29, Issue 8 This Report summarizes an opinion issued on January 20, 2022 (Part I); and cases granted review on January 14, 2022 (Part II). Cases Granted Review: Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 21-418 Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 21-418. The Court will consider the contours of the First Amendment’s free-speech…
NAAG Statement on North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem’s Passing
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) issued the following statement on the passing of North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. “We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. As the longest serving attorney general in the state of North Dakota, Attorney General Stenehjem will…
Federal Consumer Protection News: January 2022
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or “Bureau”) announced an initiative to reduce so-called “junk fees” charged by banks and other financial institutions. Noting that credit card late fees and bank charges for overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees cost consumers nearly $30 billion in 2019, the Bureau published a request for…
Attorney General Consumer Protection News: January 2022
Multistate Actions Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a bipartisan coalition of 39 attorneys general obtained a $1.85 billion settlement with student loan servicer Navient. Under the settlement, Navient will make a total of $95 million in restitution…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Shennan Kavanagh, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
I joined the Consumer Protection Division (CPD) at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (MA AGO) in October of 2015 after 12 years in private practice litigating consumer finance class actions. My entire legal career has been devoted to consumer protection. It is an area of law that, in my experience, provides boundless opportunities to serve…
Communities of Color, Fraud, and Consumer Protection Agencies
In recent months, both the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) produced reports on the connection between minority populations and consumer issues. Each report came to the same conclusion: unfair and deceptive practices have unique and disproportionate impacts on communities of color. These findings suggest that more needs to be…
Current Status of COVID-19 Vaccines Rollout Nationwide: January 2022 Update for the Attorney General Community
On January 18, the U.S. reached 249.4 million persons (75.1% of the total U.S. population) having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 209.3 million persons (63.0% of the total U.S. population) being fully vaccinated (i.e., having received either one shot of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine or two shots of either…
The Anticorruption Manual: Section III: Criminal Corruption Statutes
This article is part of a series about The Anticorruption Manual: A Guide for State Prosecutors. The other articles in the series are: The Anticorruption Manual: Helping State Corruption Prosecutors Fill the Role the U.S. Supreme Court Expects Them to Play Section I: Species of Corruption Section II: Investigating Corruption Cases Section IV: The Corruption…
Supreme Court Report: Kemp v. United States, 21-5726
January 20, 2022 Volume 29, Issue 6 This Report summarizes opinions issued on January 13, 2022 (Part I); and cases granted review on January 10, 2022 (Part II). Cases Granted Review: Kemp v. United States, 21-5726 Kemp v. United States, 21-5726. The Court will consider whether a motion for relief from judgment under Federal Rule…
