State AG Opinions
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Can a Maryland police officer still testify about what they saw if a court throws out their body-worn camera recording under the state's wiretap law?
The opinion concluded that Maryland's Wiretap Act applies to a police officer's body-worn camera only when the officer intentionally records a private conversation without fitting an exception, and…
Did Missouri approve the form of Duane Martin's initiative petition 2026-071?
Yes. The attorney general approved petition 2026-071 as to form, but the secretary of state retained final authority to approve or reject it, and the opinion did not decide substantive sufficiency.
When the Arkansas Department of Corrections releases a current or former employee's personnel file under FOIA, what specific information has to be blacked out before the file goes to the requester?
The custodian was right to release the personnel file with redactions, but missed several items the AG says must also be redacted: text describing separation from employment on the reference-consent…
Do public library staff in Arkansas have a parent-like duty to children visiting the library, and are they required to report suspected child abuse?
No, library staff do not stand in loco parentis to children during a regular library visit because library attendance is not compulsory and libraries don't educate kids the way schools do. But every…
Did Missouri approve the form of Spencer Toder's initiative petition 2026-070?
Yes. The attorney general approved petition 2026-070 as to form, but the secretary of state retained final authority to approve or reject it, and the opinion did not decide substantive sufficiency.
Did Missouri approve ballot wording guaranteeing 365 days for signatures and requiring 90% to change initiatives?
Yes. The approved statement described at least 365 days to gather signatures, proponent-written ballot summaries with voter challenges, specified court procedures, 90% approval for legislative…
Did Missouri approve ballot wording protecting initiative procedures from higher thresholds and delayed court review?
Yes. The approved statement described requiring 80% approval for legislative changes, barring higher signature thresholds, narrower subjects, or delayed judicial review, and preserving current vote…
What proposed ballot summary did Missouri's Attorney General approve for Jamie Howard's petition 2026-065?
The AG approved the legal content and form of a proposed summary for petition 2026-065. It describes possible initiative safeguards and says a single-measure special election would require approval…
Did Missouri approve ballot wording allowing citizen challenges and protecting citizen-enacted laws?
Yes. The approved statement described an 80% referral threshold for changing citizen-enacted laws, citizen challenges and court rewriting of misleading titles, general-election rules, and retention…
What proposed ballot summary did Missouri's Attorney General approve for Jamie Howard's petition 2026-063?
The AG approved the legal content and form of a proposed summary for petition 2026-063. It describes possible initiative and referendum safeguards; the opinion does not say the measure was adopted.
Did Missouri approve ballot wording protecting initiatives enacted before the amendment and allowing title challenges?
Yes. The approved statement described an 80% referral threshold for changing citizen-enacted laws, including measures enacted before adoption, plus citizen ballot-title challenges and preservation…
What proposed ballot summary did Missouri's Attorney General approve for Jamie Howard's petition 2026-061?
The AG approved the legal content and form of a proposed summary for petition 2026-061. It describes possible safeguards for citizen initiatives and referendum results; the opinion does not say the…
Did Missouri approve ballot wording allowing citizens to challenge misleading titles and protecting prior initiatives?
Yes. The approved statement described an 80% referral threshold for changing prior citizen-enacted measures, citizen challenges and court rewriting of misleading titles, general-election rules, and…
What proposed ballot summary did Missouri's Attorney General approve for Jamie Howard's petition 2026-059?
The AG approved the legal content and form of a proposed summary for petition 2026-059. It describes possible limits on legislative changes to initiatives and referendum results, plus election and…
What proposed ballot summary did Missouri's Attorney General approve for Jamie Howard's petition 2026-058?
The AG approved the legal content and form of a proposed summary for petition 2026-058. It describes possible changes to initiative protections, ballot-title challenges, election timing, and…
Did Missouri approve ballot wording requiring 80% legislative referral before changing citizen initiatives?
Yes. The approved statement described requiring 80% of legislators to refer initiative changes to voters, general-election placement unless a special election was approved, court rewriting of…
Can a Mississippi school district hire a retired superintendent part-time without messing up his PERS retirement benefits?
Yes, twice. There is no statutory requirement that a Mississippi school district superintendent work full time. A PERS retiree may serve as a part-time superintendent and keep drawing retirement…
Can a Mississippi alderman tell city employees not to follow the mayor's instructions or sign up contractors without board approval?
No. In a code charter Mississippi municipality, executive power is vested in the mayor. Section 21-3-15(2)(a) explicitly says no member of the board of aldermen shall give orders to any employee or…
If a Mississippi grandmother takes in her grandchild without going through CPS, can she get state supportive services payments under Section 43-15-17?
No. Section 43-15-17 supportive services payments are only available when CPS places the child in the relative's home. A relative who takes a child through chancery court guardianship outside CPS is…
Can a Mississippi school district accept a donation, or a fee waiver, from a vendor or contractor who currently does business with the district?
Yes, with caution. There is no statutory prohibition on a school district accepting a donation, or a fee/interest waiver, from a vendor or contractor currently under contract with the district. The…
Can a South Carolina school board set its own compensation under a policy adopted by majority vote, and does failing to reaffirm the policy in a later year invalidate it?
Section 59-1-350 permits school boards to develop compensation policies within its parameters unless local law or another controlling authority says otherwise. The AG did not decide whether…
After Senate Bill 941 (2025), do West Virginia local conservation districts still have any oversight role over dams they own or sponsor, or is that authority now exclusively the Department of Environmental Protection's?
The Department of Environmental Protection has sole authority. The 2025 amendment to West Virginia Code § 19-21A-8(a) says any 'alteration, improvement, or agreement' related to a dam owned or…
In Arkansas, can a county judge sign a contract for the county without going back to the quorum court for approval, and what limits apply?
Yes. Under Amendment 55 and A.C.A. § 14-14-1102, the quorum court decides what services and goods to fund and appropriates the money, but the county judge alone picks the vendor and signs the…
Can a North Dakota city council ask employees to leave the room during an open meeting when their salaries are being discussed?
No. The AG concluded that the New Town City Council violated North Dakota's open meetings law when it asked four employees, attending after hours in their personal capacity, to leave during a salary…
Does a public body violate Delaware FOIA when its meeting agenda lists 'open forum' instead of 'public comment,' or when it lacks a FOIA coordinator and online request portal?
Yes on most counts. The Delaware AG ruled that the Center for the Inland Bays violated FOIA by failing to put 'public comment' on its meeting agendas, by skipping comment at a virtual meeting, by…
If a North Little Rock police officer was recommended for termination but resigned first, then was decertified by the state and later recertified, can the public see the internal affairs investigation records under FOIA?
The Attorney General could not rule on the redactions without the unredacted pages. The internal affairs records should be released if the custodian finds that the officer resigned in the face of…
Our city is in a wet county but sits inside what used to be a dry township that no longer exists as a recognized district. How do we hold a vote to legally sell alcohol there?
You hold a 'local option election for a defunct voting district' under A.C.A. § 3-8-602. The county board of election commissioners issues a resolution defining the boundaries (after a written…
Is the Chester Fire District required to keep contracting with the City of Chester for fire protection services, or can it pick another provider or run its own department?
The AG says the 1972 act does not require the Chester Fire District to use the City of Chester exclusively or forever. A court would likely read the commission’s powers to allow renegotiation, a…
Can a private developer in Mississippi deed subdivision streets inside a town's corporate limits to the county, or do those streets become municipal property?
No on the deed to the county. Streets within a Mississippi municipality's corporate limits are municipal streets, and the county cannot take them through a developer's conveyance. A county may, on…
Are daily fantasy sports games like DraftKings, FanDuel, and PrizePicks legal in California?
No. The Attorney General concluded that daily fantasy sports games (both pick'em-style proposition contests and draft-style salary-cap contests) constitute sports wagering in violation of Penal Code…
Do Louisiana Local Emergency Planning Committees have to hold their meetings in public under the Open Meetings Law?
Yes. Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), the federal-statute-created bodies that develop community emergency response plans for hazardous-material releases, qualify as 'public bodies' under…
Did the South Carolina AG approve a water district’s use of an exclusive contractor list for a developer’s water-line work?
The opinion does not decide whether a district may require an approved-list contractor. Assuming the listed qualifications relate to regulatory approvals, the AG says § 33-36-1360(A)(17) may well…
Does New Mexico's law requiring disclaimers on AI-generated political ads (HB 182) violate the First Amendment?
Mostly no, but partly yes. The disclaimer requirement and the consent exception are constitutional, but the AG concluded the requirement that satire and parody also carry the disclaimer is likely…
If I ask my Delaware school district for the name and salary of an employee who confronted my child, can I get that under FOIA?
Mixed result. Smyrna School District properly denied a parent's first request because it asked the District to identify an employee, not for existing records (FOIA does not require Q&A). But on the…
Can a South Carolina county election board member run for or serve as an officer of a political party?
Filing to become an officer of a political party does not, by itself, subject a county election board member to removal under § 7-13-75. Serving in that party office, whether elected or appointed, does.
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the popular name and ballot title for the proposed 'Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment,' and what would the sponsors need to fix to get certification?
The AG rejected the ballot title for two reasons. One: Act 602 of 2025 requires ballot titles to be at an eighth-grade reading level on the Flesch-Kincaid scale, and the resubmitted title scored 9.3…
Is a government building's key-card access log a public record under Oklahoma's Open Records Act?
Yes. A log showing which employees swiped in to a public building, and when, is a 'record' under the Open Records Act. The agency cannot withhold it under the terrorism or IT-security exceptions…
When my truck is towed after an accident, can the wrecker hold it until I also pay the environmental cleanup company?
No. A wrecker operator's statutory possessory lien covers only the wrecker's own services (towing, storage, securing the vehicle). It does not extend to environmental cleanup performed by a separate…
Can the president of a private youth softball league also work as the director of a parish recreation district in Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana's Dual Officeholding Law only governs public offices and public employment, so leading an unpaid, private nonprofit softball league does not conflict with holding a paid public…
Did Missouri approve the fiscal note summary for Michael Lester's initiative petition 2026-067?
Yes. The attorney general approved the legal content and form of the auditor's fiscal note summary, which estimated no costs or savings for state and local government.
Did Missouri approve ballot wording on legislative changes, special elections, and majority votes for initiatives?
Yes. The approved statement described voter referral for legislative changes supported by 80% of each chamber, general-election placement unless a special election was authorized, court revision of…
Does a Louisiana business have to accept LA Wallet, the state's digital driver's license app, as valid ID instead of a physical card?
Yes. Louisiana law makes a digitized credential downloaded through LA Wallet just as valid as the physical card, and businesses in the state must accept it.
Did Missouri approve fair ballot wording for SJR 73 on abortion exceptions and gender-transition restrictions for minors?
Yes. The approved wording described abortion exceptions and consent rules, limits on public funding, care for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages, and restrictions on certain gender-transition…
Did Missouri approve fair ballot wording requiring all charter counties to elect trained county assessors?
Yes. The approved wording said a yes vote would require every charter county, including Jackson County, to elect an assessor and require charter-county assessors to meet state-law training requirements.
Did Missouri approve the ballot wording for a measure requiring charter counties to elect their assessors?
Yes. The attorney general approved the summary statement for HCS for HJR Nos. 23 & 3, which would require every charter county, including Jackson County, to elect a county assessor and to meet any…
What fiscal impact did Missouri approve for House Joint Resolution No. 73?
The approved summary estimated no state costs or savings, an unknown increase in Greene County tax revenue, and no costs or savings for other local governments. The review did not examine the…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for House Joint Resolution Nos. 23 and 3?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; it estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that estimate's…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-066?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-065?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-064?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-063?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-062?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-061?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-060?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-059?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-058?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Did Missouri approve the no-cost fiscal note summary for Jamie Howard's initiative petition 2026-057?
Yes. The attorney general approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form; the summary estimated no state or local governmental costs or savings, but the review did not examine that…
Can a Delaware town redact ICE's emails about a 287(g) agreement based on ICE's request and an email warning?
The AG found a FOIA violation because Camden had not justified its redactions. ICE's verbal request and email warning did not by themselves supply a FOIA basis, and the Town's sworn safety claims…
Can a Georgia local government rename the South Carolina half of an interstate bridge, and does the SC Heritage Act protect the SC side from being renamed without legislative approval?
No. Georgia has no legal authority to rename the South Carolina portion of the Jefferson Davis Memorial Bridge. Under SC's Heritage Act, only the South Carolina General Assembly can rename a bridge…
Can a pharmacy benefits manager enforce an 'effective rate pricing' clause against a small local Louisiana pharmacy through its contract with a middleman PSAO?
No. Louisiana law defines effective rate pricing as a tool for pharmacies that are NOT 'local pharmacies,' so a PBM cannot apply it to a local pharmacy even indirectly through the pharmacy's PSAO.
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