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Nevada attorney general presents office priorities, highlights social media litigation and opioid recoveries
Summary
Attorney General Aaron Ford briefed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on the Office of the Attorney General's staff, consumer-protection work, litigation against social media platforms over youth harms and recent opioid settlement recoveries totaling about $1.2 billion.
Attorney General Aaron Ford told the Assembly Judiciary Committee that the Nevada Office of the Attorney General is focusing on five policy priorities — constitutional rights, criminal justice reform, consumer protection, client service and community engagement — and described recent litigation, enforcement actions and staffing levels at the office.
The office, Ford said, has 155 attorneys, 62 investigators and roughly 200 support staff across 23 divisions and has opened or reviewed thousands of investigations including cybercrime, fraud and human trafficking. "Our job is justice," Ford said.
Ford emphasized two ongoing major litigation priorities: suits against social media platforms over harms to youth and a multi‑state legal challenge to a federal attempt to curtail birthright citizenship. He said his office has sued five social media companies (TikTok, Instagram/Meta, Facebook Messenger and Snapchat) to hold platforms accountable for algorithmic harms to Nevada youth, and recently prevailed at the Nevada Supreme Court on a personal‑jurisdiction challenge that will allow the state suit to proceed toward trial. Ford also said he joined a coalition of attorneys general seeking court relief to block a federal action that would limit birthright citizenship, and that courts in multiple states had temporarily prevented the federal action from taking effect while litigation proceeds.
On consumer protection, Ford cited a $2 million settlement with Walmart to correct shelf‑price mismatches and said the office has secured more than $1.2 billion in opioid‑related recoveries. He said the office worked with Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to publish a public dashboard tracking the flow of opioid settlement funds. Ford also described creation of a victims' services unit (two victim‑witness advocates added during the last legislature) and said the Office of Military Legal Assistance provided help to roughly 1,900 veterans and military spouses during the biennium.
Ford gave a brief summary of criminal‑justice activity: the investigations division reviewed more than 8,000 matters between 2022 and 2024 and converted many reviews into active investigations and prosecutions, including online sting operations that led to prison terms for offenders. He noted the office prosecutes fraud (including schemes targeting immigrant communities through fraudulent notarios), mortgage and securities fraud, and cases involving public integrity and prison facility crimes.
Ford referred to last session's Senate Bill 35, saying his office worked with the Senate majority leader to lower trafficking thresholds for fentanyl from 100 grams to 28 grams and called the change a productive tool for law enforcement. He offered to circulate prosecution figures to the committee and stood ready to follow up with additional information.
During questions, committee members asked about the social media litigation and youth online safety legislation (SB 63), prosecution trends for fentanyl cases, and outreach efforts to immigrant communities. Ford said the office does not ask about immigration status when victims make complaints and described outreach in Spanish and partnerships with the Mexican consulate.
Ford closed by reiterating the office's staffing and program highlights and inviting committee members to request additional data he offered to provide.
