News Releases

WHAT VIRGINIANS ARE SEEING: ATTORNEY GENERAL JAY JONES SHARES WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF ACTIONS TAKEN       

Protects Virginians through establishment of new units, protects children online, and spotlights outreach team 

RICHMOND, Va. -- Attorney General Jones continues to deliver on his promise to fight for Virginians through the establishment of the Worker Protection Unit and the Federal Accountably Unit. In addition, the Office of the Attorney General recently secured a landmark child–safety settlement of $353 million with Meta. The Office of the Attorney General also spotlights the community engagement work being done by the Outreach Team. 

Protecting Virginians 

Attorney General Jay Jones shared how both the Worker Protection Unit and the Federal Accountability Unit will protect Virginians from rights violations, and how securing a $353 million settlement with Meta is just the start of the fight to hold Big Tech accountable.  

PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Jay Jones Announces Creation of Worker Protection Unit to Protect Virginia Workers and Promote Fair Competition   

“For the first time in the history of the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, working people will have a dedicated enforcement team fighting for their rights on the job. Under my orders, this unit will protect workers, enforce the law, and hold bad actors accountable,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “We will investigate wage theft, uncover misclassification schemes, and protect workers from retaliation. When an employer refuses to follow the law, we will take action. To every employer that pads profits by cheating working people, hear me clearly: the cost of breaking Virginia law is about to go up.”    

MeidasTouch: Workers Unite as VA Moves to Protect Workers in Their Workplaces 

“Folks feel like they don't have someone who's got their back that it's too expensive for them to go to court on their own dime. And for me, this is a message to the folks of Virginia that we are here to help and we are here to fight on your behalf so that you get the money that you're owed, that you are not being classified as something that you are not so that you can be paid less when you work, you're supposed to be paid. And so that's something that we're committed to,” said Attorney General Jones. 

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“This is a state that protects its workers, that cares about its workers, that wants to make sure that the workforce is provided for. I think with that back stop, you're going to see a lot more folks across Virginia who have the confidence to speak up and speak out. You know, you hear so many stories about folks who have been silenced, who have been, you know, afraid to say anything because of the imbalance that has existed for far too long. This is a moment when we are finally changing uh how we think about it here in this commonwealth.” 

PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Jones Forms Dedicated Legal Unit to Confront Unprecedented Trump Administration Overreach 

“I have a fundamental responsibility as Attorney General to defend the Commonwealth and protect Virginians when the federal government exceeds its authority,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “I promised to put Virginia first, and the Federal Accountability Unit will take on Trump administration actions that hurt Virginians, from tariffs that exacerbate the cost crisis, to the damage left behind by DOGE. My team will be ready to act when Trump holds critical funding hostage, when federal policies threaten Virginia workers and families, or when the President attacks our democracy. The creation of this unit ensures dedicated personnel and resources are in place to fight back in court and protect the people we serve.” 

InsideNoVA: Virginia Attorney General creates unit to challenge federal actions 

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is creating a four-attorney unit dedicated to challenging actions by the Trump administration that his office says exceed federal authority or threaten the commonwealth’s interests. 

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“I have a fundamental responsibility as Attorney General to defend the Commonwealth and protect Virginians when the federal government exceeds its authority,” Jones said. 

The unit will focus on issues including federal funding, elections, health care, immigration, environmental protections, consumer issues, constitutional rights, tariffs and other economic policies. 

Augusta Free Press: Jay Jones rolls out new Trump accountability team in state AG’s office 

The new Federal Accountability Unit that Jay Jones rolled out today is why we needed to elect a Democrat to be our attorney general last fall. 

A release from the AG’s office calls the unit “a new team within the Office of the Attorney General dedicated to confronting Trump administration actions that exceed federal authority and threaten Virginia’s interests. 

“I promised to put Virginia first, and the Federal Accountability Unit will take on Trump administration actions that hurt Virginians, from tariffs that exacerbate the cost crisis, to the damage left behind by DOGE,” Jones said in a statement. 

“My team will be ready to act when Trump holds critical funding hostage, when federal policies threaten Virginia workers and families, or when the President attacks our democracy. The creation of this unit ensures dedicated personnel and resources are in place to fight back in court and protect the people we serve,” Jones said. 

The portfolio for the unit will include issues of federal funding, elections, healthcare, immigration, environmental protections, consumer issues, constitutional rights, tariffs and other economic policies, and the fallout from DOGE cuts to the federal workforce. 

Cardinal News: Notes from the Square: Virginia attorney general forms legal unit to challenge federal overreach 

Attorney General Jay Jones announced Thursday that his office has formed the Federal Accountability Unit to challenge what he called federal overreach. 

The new unit will investigate Trump administration actions that exceed federal authority and threaten Virginia’s interests, Jones’ office said.  

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“I have a fundamental responsibility as Attorney General to defend the Commonwealth and protect Virginians when the federal government exceeds its authority,” Jones said in a statement. “I promised to put Virginia first, and the Federal Accountability Unit will take on Trump administration actions that hurt Virginians, from tariffs that exacerbate the cost crisis, to the damage left behind by DOGE.” 

He added that the team will be “ready to act when [President Donald] Trump holds critical funding hostage, when federal policies threaten Virginia workers and families, or when the President attacks our democracy.” 

Among the issues that the unit will handle are federal funding, elections, healthcare, immigration, environmental protections, consumer issues, constitutional rights, tariffs and the continuing fallout from federal workforce cuts. It also aims to coordinate multistate litigation and work alongside other states’ attorneys general on cases involving Trump administration policies and actions. 

“We understand the weight of this work and the stakes for Virginians,” Keenan said in a statement. “We will move quickly, defend the Commonwealth, and meet unlawful action with the full force of the law. Our charge is to anticipate and counter emerging threats, build the strongest cases possible, and ensure the state is prepared when its interests or its people are put at risk.” 

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Also this week, Jones’ office announced that Virginia is slated to receive $364 million from recent billion-dollar multistate settlements with Meta over social media addiction claims and data sharing.  

Jones said that a portion of Virginia’s settlement funds will go toward remediating harm caused by social media platforms and supporting social media literacy for parents.  

“We are really excited to put this money into efforts that are going to continue to help protect our kids,” Jones told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re going to make sure that they’re going to be used for a variety of purposes, like unplugged programs and activities for kids that are going to help combat this loneliness and social isolation that we’ve seen from this online existence.” 

Virginia is scheduled to receive its first payment, an undisclosed portion of the full amount, within 30 days of approval of the settlement by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.  

Meta is required to implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook. The settlement was reached after attorneys general from 52 states and U.S. territories, including Virginia, claimed that the company deceived the public regarding mental health harms its social media products can have on teens.  

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Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states. 

The settlement also resolves Virginia’s claims against Meta for sharing private information about Facebook users with third parties leading up to the 2016 election. The commonwealth will receive an additional $11 million through that settlement, Jones’ office said. 

PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Jay Jones Announces a $17 Billion Landmark Settlement with Meta with $353 Million Guaranteed for Virginia    

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health. I am elated to announce a settlement agreement that will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “For the past five years, this office and its dedicated public servants have stood tall against one of the largest tech giants in the country and refused to back down in the face of costly and time-consuming investigations, legal battles, and sophisticated legal schemes to prevent accountability. Today’s historic settlement proves that no matter how deep a company’s pockets, or how vast their legal armies, when major corporations and Big Tech companies put the safety of our children at risk to turn a profit, Virginia will bring them to justice. With this relief, Virginia will finally be able to put substantial resources behind initiatives to undo these harms, prevent future harms and change the face of how young people interact with social media for years to come by continuing to hold social media companies accountable.”     

C-SPAN: "In Virginia, we have drawn our line in the sand." 

"This is certainly something that is historic, not just for Virginia but across the country. We have not just a landmark settlement in terms of dollar figures, but the guardrails to keep Americans secure," Attorney General Jones said. "We are going to hold everybody accountable, no matter who you are. If you are doing harm to our kids, we are going to come after you."  

WHRO: Virginia AG, Henrico Co. senator not done with Facebook following Meta settlement 

A legal win against Meta may bring new reforms and hundreds of millions of dollars to the Commonwealth. But one state Senator who pushed for stricter reforms isn’t done fighting. 

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Beyond the more than $350 million dollars coming to the Commonwealth, Meta says it’ll add new rules for minors on Facebook and Instagram. This includes age verification, daily time limits and quote “check in breaks” in an effort to dissuade endless scrolling. Many of the reforms align with changes demanded by VanValkenburg under a 2025 state law he authored. 

But that law is currently on hold on First Amendment grounds, with a federal judge in Alexandria writing the state “does not have the legal authority to block minors’ access to constitutionally protected speech until their parents give their consent.” 

Jones appealed and argued the lower court got it wrong because the law, "imposes only an incidental burden on speech." 

"After completing the age verification, adults are free to access any speech on any social media platform for as long as they would like, and minors are free to access any speech on any platform for as long as their parents would like," Jones' filing reads. 

The Richmond-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed and kept the law on hold in an order issued Monday. 

The 2025 law also goes further than the settlement; for example, VanValkenburg wanted 1-hour limits, Meta said they’d limit teens to 2. The Senator wants the state to keep fighting to defend his law, and AG Jones said he plans to. 

“The Meta settlement is a huge win, but we can walk and chew gum at the same time," Jones said in a voice memo sent to Radio IQ. "And just as we did with Meta, we intend to prevail.” 

Community Outreach  

The Office of the Attorney General’s Outreach team is the local point of contact for communities across the Commonwealth. Coordinators and Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) connect with residents and local leaders, educating and informing Virginians on the resources and work being done by the Office. 

Before students in Chesapeake headed back to school, they attended the Chesapeake VA Rules Camp. Each year, the OAG partners with local law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth to host “Virginia Rules” camps. These camps offer young people fun, interactive instruction on Virginia’s law and build positive relationships between local law enforcement and campers.  

TRIAD Coordinator Ben Bickel and CLO Taylor Davis were invited to speak at the Upper King William County Senior Citizens Center about frauds and scams. The Outreach team was able to answer questions from community members, connect with local law enforcement, and share information about OAG resources like MFCU, TRIAD, and Consumer Protection. At the Chickahominy Area TRIAD August meeting in New Kent County, MFCU CLO Randy Davis spotlighted recent cases closed by the unit. In Washington County, Shenandoah County, and Botetourt County CLOs Amy Duncan, Ajashu Thomas, and Lara Bussert connected with seniors in the community.