What Virginians Are Seeing: Attorney General Jay Jones Shares Weekly Roundup Of Actions Taken

WHAT VIRGINIANS ARE SEEING: ATTORNEY GENERAL JAY JONES SHARES WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF ACTIONS TAKEN
Continues to protect Virginians from federal overreach and secure our rights

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jay Jones this week continued taking action to protect Virginians from federal overreach and defend fundamental rights.

Legal Action to Protect Virginia’s Elections

Attorney General Jones is leading legal action against a federal executive order impacting elections, arguing it is unlawful, undermines state authority, and risks eroding trust in secure voting systems. He has joined a multistate effort and made clear Virginia will defend its constitutional role in administering elections.

WRIC: AG Jay Jones says he’ll sue Trump over executive order affecting federal elections
“The President continues to overreach, to overstep, to ignore the law, to ignore commonly held tradition and custom in service of a vision that does not align with what we do here in Virginia and in this country as it relates to the rule of law.”

WFXR

WAVY

WJHL

Richmond Today: Virginia AG Vows to Sue Trump Over Election Order
“The president continues to overreach, to overstep, to ignore the law, to ignore commonly held tradition and custom in service of a vision that does not align with what we do here in Virginia and in this country as it relates to the rule of law.”

NBC29: Va. Joins coalition of states pledging legal action against Trump’s executive order on election
“This is yet another instance where the President continues to pursue things that are illegal, that are based on insidious fallacies, things that continue to sow fear in our communities.”

WVTF: Virginia AG Jones promises to fight Trump’s mail-in voting executive order

“Mail-in voting is very secure, and in Virginia we run our own elections. The federal government is not responsible for running our elections. We are good at it. We have proper procedures and guardrails in place to make sure they’re safe and secure."

WHRO: Virginia AG Jones promises to fight Trump’s mail-in voting executive order

Black Virginia News: AG Jones Responds to Latest Trump Attempt to Interfere with Voting
“Virginia will stand up to this. In court. The President’s latest executive order is a blatantly illegal and malicious attempt to block access to the ballot. His order restricting mail-in voting is riddled with legal fallacies and authoritarian directives - it will be challenged and it will be defeated.”

Black Star Network: SCOTUS Weighs Birthright Citizenship. Trump Voting Order Under Fire. GA Lawmaker Goes Off

“He needs to understand that states are tired of the overreach. They're tired of the power grabs. You know, we're sick and tired of this. If you look at what happened in Virginia in our elections last fall, we all campaigned on pushing back against the federal overreach, and we all had significant success.”

WRIC: ‘Blatantly illegal’: Jay Jones threatens legal action after Trump creates new restrictions on mail-in voting

“Virginia will stand up to this, In court. The President’s latest executive order is a blatantly illegal and malicious attempt to block access to the ballot. His order restricting main-in voting is riddled with legal fallacies and authoritarian directives - it will be challenged and it will be defeated.”

Social Media:

WAVY10 – Facebook Post

ABC8 News – WRIC – Facebook Post

Calling Out Misleading Mailers

Attorney General Jones is responding to the news that misleading mailers, targeting Black and senior voters in Virginia, were funded by Silicon Valley billionaire and prominent Trump financial backer, Peter Thiel. These mailers push a false narrative and invoke Civil Rights movement and Jim Crow imagery.

ARLnow: Misleading anti-redistricting mailers prompt outcry from AG Jones, Virginia NAACP
“These ads deliberately exploit the history of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement to mislead Black voters and suppress participation. That is not just offensive. It is a modern playbook for voter suppression.”

Virginia Mercury: Virginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight

“Peter Thiel, one of Donald Trump’s top billionaire backers, is spending millions in Virginia to push a campaign built on lies and racial division.”

Falls Church News Press: Thiel Behind Deception Effort Soiling Current Vote
“My family lived through Jim Crow in Virginia. That history is not a political prop for Trump’s allies to weaponize to rig elections and manipulate voters. Virginians deserve facts, not fear. I will continue to stand up for civil rights, defend the integrity of our elections, and call out any effort to deceive voters and undermine our democracy.”

Democracy Docket: Peter Thiel-backed group contributes $2.5 million to oppose Virginia redistricting

Challenging Donald Trump’s Birthright Executive Order

Attorney General Jones signed onto an amicus brief to defend birthright citizenship, alongside 24 attorneys general, in the Supreme Court. Trump v. Barbara challenges the administration's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to immigrant parents, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

WRIC: ‘Unlawful’: Jay Jones slams Trump’s birthright executive order as Supreme Court hears case
“The President’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship violates our Constitution, federal statutes, and the rule that has governed our Nation since we eradicated slavery [over] 150 years ago.”

13NewsNow: Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joins multi-state effort opposing birthright citizenship order
“We are proud to fight against this unlawful order, and grateful for the injunctions that prevented this action from ever taking effect.”

Stopping Gun Violence

Attorney General Jay Jones attended the first annual Hoodship Unity Basketball Game in Richmond. This community-oriented event aims to connect with kids and end gun violence.

WTVR: Hoodship Unity Basketball Game held in an effort to help stop gun violence
”For far too long, we've focused on back end solutions and back end activity, but if we can get to folks when they're young, get to folks where they are, I think that will really have a meaningful impact on the outcomes that we have, getting them away from picking up guns as opposed to resorting to conversation or other forms of deescalation.”

Attorney General Jay Jones and Vape Enforcement Act News

With the passage of the Vape Enforcement Act, an effort strongly back by Attorney General Jones, Virginia vape shops can now only sell liquid nicotine and vapor products listed in the state directory.

Virginia Scope: Attorney General recommends that commonwealth attorneys enforce new vape regulation

“Vape shops have been allowed to get away with selling unregulated products, with documented negative health impacts not only to adults, but to minors without penalty.”

Tobacco Reporter: Virginia AG Pushing to Enforce New Vape Regulations

###