State AGs Versus Lawlessness

A quiet revolution is happening in state courtrooms and attorney general offices across the country, and in this episode of Pantsuit and Lawsuits our guest co-host New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin pulls back the curtain on how it works. We talk about how New Jersey moved from participant to leader in multistate litigation, protected food benefits for millions, and delivered three straight years of record-low gun violence—roughly 750 fewer people shot compared with the year before he took office. The focus isn’t speeches about “the rule of law.” It’s families who feel safer, kids who get dinner, and residents whose rights still mean something when those in power become reckless.

We walk through the mechanics that keep complex cases moving through leadership transitions, why some of the most consequential fights against federal overreach happen at the state level, and how bipartisan coalitions can still form around tech accountability and consumer harms. Then we zoom out: reported abuses at the border, no-warrant intrusions, and a chilling effect on pro bono representation. Platkin reframes the Bill of Rights as a living shield—First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment protections that apply on real streets, to real people, right now.

We don’t dodge the Supreme Court. From Bruen to Dobbs to presidential immunity, we parse what these decisions mean for public safety, reproductive rights, and equal accountability. Yet the advice isn’t despair—it’s strategy. Lower courts remain vital. Records matter. Clear narratives win. Long-term fixes, from campaign finance reform to constitutional amendments, deserve a real push if we want a democracy that can stand up to concentrated power and money.