February 3, 2026 - Week 2 – Tools available for an Attorney General to address Climate change, guns and abortion. Guest Speaker: NJ SG Jeremy Fiegelbaum, '14

Attorneys general are armed with a host of legal authorty to adddress our isssues.  While it is litigation that breaks into the public sphere is is often the invisible work state attorneys general do with their Governors, state agencies and legislatures that actually makes concrete changes.  Because state goverrnments will have to assume many of the functions that historically have been addressed by the federal government wewill  read, discuss and listen to visitors

One particular state statute we will study is each state's Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act.  (UDAP)  Orgininally designed to address traditiional consumer fraud it is now the statute of choice for attorneys general on all sides of the climate change, abortion and gun issues.   While each state differs on the breadth of its coverage and the remedies available of its Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices Act (UDAP), it is a core duty of every attorney general to be involved in consumer protection. Additionally, due to the breadth of pre-suit investigatory authority using a Civil Investigative Demand (CID), AGs have powerful tools not available to most civil  litigants. AGs use their broad consumer protection authority to investigate and sue anyone in state court engaged in “unfair or deceptive” practices either in single state actions or as part of multistate coalitions.