Main Content

The Legal & Political Importance of the State Attorney General

Introduction

Increasingly AGs have become involved in enforcing state labor laws, including minimum wage, overtime, and other laws affecting employees. Additionally, some AGs have brought affirmative enforcement actions to end certain nationwide practices, such as "no poach"  provisions in franchise agreements.

The readings begin with an analysis of the increasing role begin played by AGs. The next readings examine AGs' efforts to ban nationwide "no poach" agreements, and the effects of such efforts. You should ask whether a state AG should be requiring nationwide labor law changes in settlements of their state law claims.

The last reading concerns the investigation into the workplace culture of the NFL by CA and NY, which is not only an investigation involving a national issue, but one that is being conducted by two of the largest states in the country without any other input or assistance from other states.