State AG News: Healthcare, Hazardous Waste, Tariffs (March 5 – March 11, 2026)

Each week, Crowell & Moring's State Attorneys General team highlights significant actions that State AGs have taken. See our State Attorneys General page for more insights. Below are the updates from March 5 – March 11, 2026:

Multistate

• A coalition of 22 attorneys general filed an amicus brief challenging the 2017-18 Trump administration expansion of exemptions to the Affordable Care Act guarantee for no-cost contraception under employer-provided health plans. The brief argues that the regulations are unlawful, will impose additional costs on states and strain state-funded programs, and will have negative health outcomes for citizens.
• A coalition of 10 attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration commenting on proposed regulations to allow automated vehicles to transport hazardous materials. The attorneys general flagged that states maintain authority over highway designations where hazardous waste may be transported and argued that it is too soon to safely allow autonomous transport of hazardous waste based on the current state of autonomous vehicle technology.

• A coalition of 24 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's latest legal rationale for imposing tariffs without Congressional approval. This suit comes two weeks after the Supreme Court held that the administration's justification of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was unlawful. The lawsuit argues that the new justifications for the tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 are "fatally flawed" and that Section 122 does not apply in the case of trade deficits as the administration is arguing.

• A bipartisan coalition of 27 attorneys general announced their intention to continue an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster after the federal DOJ and some litigating states announced a mid-trial settlement. The suit alleges that the company violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act and illegally exercised monopoly power the entertainment industry, negatively impacting consumers and artists. The attorneys general coalition moved for a mistrial in the wake of the settlement.
• A coalition of 15 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in Monsanto Company v. John Durnell, urging the Supreme Court to uphold uniform national labeling requirements for pesticides. The amicus brief argues that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state law labeling requirements that differ from federally approved labels and preempts Durnell's state law failure to warn claim regarding potential pesticide risks.
• A coalition of 15 attorneys general won summary judgment in their challenge to a 2024 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Agriculture Determination that raised the energy efficiency standards for certain affordable housing construction. The attorneys general argued that the requirements were adopted in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. The court agreed, finding that the increased costs of the housing to implement the standards would negatively impact the availability of affordable housing.
• A coalition of nine attorneys general sent a comment letter to the U.S. Forest Service opposing its proposed rule to limit public participation in the Service's decision-making process. The letter argues that the new rule would harm states' social, economic, and sovereign interests in forest management by limiting state and citizen commentary on new projects, and that the rule is arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
• A coalition of 19 attorneys general submitted an amicus brief in American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) v. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), challenging the FTC's demand that the AAP provide additional documentation regarding its clinical guidance on gender affirming care. The brief argues that the states have powers to regulate medicine, such as through licensing and patient-protecting laws, and that the FTC's demands may undermine state ability to regulate healthcare and "threaten the evidence-based development of healthcare guidelines and policies."
• A coalition of 23 states won a court order requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to return billions in funding to communities relying on the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. BRIC provided resources to strengthen local infrastructure against natural disasters but was terminated by FEMA, an action which a court declared unlawful in December.

Alaska

• Attorney General Cox sent letters to over 1,500 tobacco retailers and distributors warning them that they may be selling tobacco products imported illegally into the United States and lacking proper FDA authorization and asking them to make sure the products they sell are authorized. The attorney general emphasized that this review is necessary to ensure product ingredients are verified for safety and to protect youth and young adults who are particularly at risk of buying illegal vapes and nicotine pouches, which are often fruit or candy flavored.

Arizona

• Attorney General Mayes announced the results of a statewide inspection of 1,882 Arizona tobacco retailers for compliance with the state's tobacco age verification law. The legal age to purchase tobacco in Arizona is 21, but 13.6% of stores sold tobacco to underage volunteers participating in the "Operation Counter Strike" inspection program. Attorney General Mayes stated that the office "will not look the other way" and is "putting every retailer in Arizona on notice that they must follow the law."

California

• Attorney General Bonta sent a letter to baby food companies to remind them that Assembly Bill 899 mandates sampling for and disclosure of the presence of heavy metals in baby food products that are sold or distributed in California. Despite these requirements, reports have suggested that some companies are not disclosing their results in an easily accessible manner, which can impede parents' and caregivers' ability to protect babies from the health risks of heavy metal exposure.

Massachusetts

• Attorney General Campbell's office issued a civil citation of $214,842 to the home and health care staffing agency Excel Nursing Services, Inc. to resolve allegations that the company violated state wage and hour laws. The company allegedly delayed wage payments for new employees until they met an hours requirement instead of paying them within six days of the end of weekly or biweekly pay periods, as required by state law.

North Carolina

• Attorney General Jackson announced the final sentencing in a scheme that defrauded the North Carolina Medicaid program of $12.7 million. Five parties were sentenced for the scheme, which paid kickbacks to Medicaid patients and employees of Life Touch LLC for submitting fraudulent claims and billing to Medicaid. The defendants have been sentenced to federal prison and must pay millions in fines and restitution.

Ohio

• Attorney General Yost sued an Ohio contractor for allegedly violating the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act by "ghosting homeowners" after accepting payments for roof and siding replacements. The lawsuit claims that the contractor accepted over $188,000 in payments, seeking business from consumers in storm-damaged parts of the state, and promising to coordinate with insurance companies to repair their homes.
• Attorney General Yost warned Ohioans about a new text message scam. The messages claim recipients owe unpaid parking tickets or toll fines and resemble official court documents.

Pennsylvania

• Attorney General Sunday charged a contractor for allegedly defrauding consumers out of $80,000. The charges include felony counts of theft by deception, deceptive business practices, and home improvement fraud for accepting deposits to conduct home improvements but allegedly spending the money on personal expenses, like jewelry and a divorce attorney, without doing any work or buying materials.

Washington

• Attorney General Brown's office announced a consent decree with O'Reilly Auto Parts which will compensate workers $5.6 million. Washington sued O'Reilly in 2023 after investigating the company for complaints of pregnancy-related discrimination after allegedly failing or refusing to provide reasonable workplace accommodations to pregnant and postpartum workers, in violation of Washinton's Consumer Protection Act, Healthy Starts Act, and Law against Discrimination. Under the decree, affected workers will receive compensation and O'Reilly will make operational changes.

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