State Attorneys General Take On Greater Enforcement Role

Ashley Taylor, co-leader of the firm’s nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, vice chair of the firm, and a partner in its Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, was quoted in the June 23, 2025 Dow Jones Risk Journal article, “State Attorneys General Take On Greater Enforcement Role.”

Even with the increase in state-level enforcement actions over the past year, more state actions may be on the horizon, said Ashley Taylor Jr., a former U.S. deputy attorney general in Virginia.

Contrary to what some may believe, many of the issues in focus for state attorneys general aren’t partisan, Taylor said, noting AGs from both Democratic and Republican-led states have been active on issues such as data privacy.

“Consumers and voters are looking at state AGs as their primary consumer protection advocates, this role has shifted,” said Taylor, now a partner at law firm Troutman Pepper Locke helping defend companies in state-level investigations.

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“The AG enforcement world is different,” he said. “You have to understand that world, understand the enforcement power of an AG, and the impact of litigation and certain defense when an AG sues you.”

Taylor recommends companies perform a comprehensive review of federal and state laws for states where they operate and develop risk-based compliance policies and analyses, including developing ways to analyze actions by attorneys general and subsequent compliance protocols.

“It’s a jigsaw puzzle,” he said. “Companies need to weave all these things together to understand the regulatory landscape.”