National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School
The National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School is a legal research, education-and-policy center that examines the implications of the jurisprudence of state attorneys general. Working closely with attorneys general, academics and other members of the legal community, the Program is active in the development and dissemination of legal information that state prosecutors are able to use in the carrying out of their civil and criminal responsibilities.
Program director James E. Tierney was featured in The New York Times on June 30, remarking on a Supreme Court decision striking down a rule allowing only federal regulators to enforce consumer protection laws against the nation's biggest banks. Tierney noted that the case was "a stinging defeat for the large banks and federal regulators who have worked for years to stop states from enforcing state consumer protection and antidiscrimination laws.”
The National State Attorneys General Program is hosting a series of guest speakers at Columbia Law School. On Friday, June 19, we were joined by the Attorney General of Montana, Steve Bullock, '94. He followed remarks by former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey, '84, former New Hampshire Attorney General and Governor Steve Merrill and former Deputy White House Counsel and Ohio Solicitor General Professor Bill Marshall. Edited versions of these remarks will be posted on our website. Check back here for information on more speaking events.
Continuing its efforts to provide training and resources to individual state offices, the Program is pleased to announce our next regional meeting in the area of Consumer Protection. The meeting will take place on July 29-30, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Please check back for updated resources and materials.
This past April, the Program also hosted two additional meetings on Charities Law and Consumer Protection at different state offices. On April 30- May 1, 2009 the Program's Charities Law Project held a meeting at the office of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper in Raleigh on charities law enforcement. This meeting brought together representatives from a small number of state offices to discuss the substantive, procedural, and logistical questions they have in working in the area of charities regulation.
In addition, the program, in conjunction with the Center for State Enforcement of Antitrust and Consumer Protection, held a meeting of state officials at the office of Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler in Baltimore on April 2, 2009. The meeting featured over 40 attendees, including state and federal officials specializing in the area of consumer protection.
For more information, please see our recent newsletter. If you would like to keep up to date with the Program's activities, use the form at the bottom of this page to sign up for the newsletter. For older newsletters, see the newsletter archive.
The Program, together with the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute (NAGTRI), hosted a conference on January 22-24, 2009 for state officials and members of the nonprofit and charitable sector regarding the detection and prevention of charities fraud. For more details as well as background reading materials for attendees, go to the conference home page. Further materials for state officials are available at NASCOnet.
>>Ethics and the Attorney General (June 2009)
In March and June of 2009, James Tierney conducted interactive ethics presentations at NAAG's Spring and Summer Meetings. Tierney’s presentations involve substantial discussion from attorneys general, senior assistant attorneys general and former attorneys general. Click here for a copy of Tierney's speech at the June, 2009 meeting. Please check back for an updated video of this year's presentation.
To view other video lessons on the role of attorneys general, click here.
>>Personnel Updates
Program director James Tierney testified before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection at the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 24. Tierney spoke regarding the roles of state and federal regulators in combatting abusive lending practices. Additional information about the hearing is available at energycommerce.house.gov.
Click hereto view the video of Tierney's Testimony.
Click here to read Tierney's full testimony (PDF).
Social Justice Program Dean Ellen Chapnick was featured on CNN on May 27, 2009 to discuss the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Program Director James E. Tierney appeared on Financial 411 on WNYC public radio on April 28 as part of the station's coverage of the Supreme Court's Cuomo v. Clearing House case. The eventual ruling could have wide implications for the role of the states in bank regulation. Tierney discussed the role of the state regulators in consumer protection as relates to the ongoing banking crisis. Click the play button below or visit the WNYC website to listen:
Tierney also discussed the actions of federal and state regulators with The New York Times. Click here to read the Times article. Click here for more information on the Cuomo case.
The April 2009 issue of Governing profiled a wide range of former and current attorneys general in a discussion of the growth and use of the power of the office, in addition to reporting on former AGs who have moved on to other elected offices. James Tierney offered his perspective on AGs' roles in settling litigation. The article can be viewed here.
Iowa Attorney General and Program advisor Tom Miller was featured in The New York Times on February 18, assessing the difficulties in modifying mortgage agreements to reduce payments or avoid foreclosure. Program Director James Tierney was also featured in a January 30 article, in which he discussed the emerging relationships between state attorneys general and the Obama administration.
James Tierney has been named an adviser to the National Association of Attorneys General's (NAAG) Strategic Planning Effort to assess the future of NAAG and its role as a resource for attorneys general and their staff. Tam Ormiston, the Program's Deputy Director and Chief Policy Counsel at the Iowa Attorney General's office, has also been appointed to the Strategic Planning team.
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