New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 20 other states and Kentucky, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's policy requiring states to disclose personal information of SNAP recipients to federal agencies. The policy violates privacy laws by demanding sensitive data like Social Security numbers for potential immigration enforcement. The coalition seeks a court injunction to stop the illegal data sharing.
The coalition is seeking a court order declaring the USDA's data demand illegal and enjoining the disclosure of SNAP recipients' personal information to other federal agencies for non-program purposes.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements where the company (as a state contractor, vendor, or data processor) handles SNAP or other public assistance program data. Focus on data sharing agreements, data processing addendums (DPAs), and any clauses governing the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) to federal agencies. Specific clauses to scrutinize include those permitting data sharing for 'program administration,' 'law enforcement purposes,' or 'compliance with federal directives.' Changes may be needed to explicitly prohibit the use of SNAP data for immigration enforcement absent a warrant or court order, require prior notice and an opportunity to object to such data transfers, and mandate data minimization (e.g., limiting shared data to only what is strictly necessary for SNAP administration). Contracts should also be updated to reflect the legal risks of complying with a potentially unlawful federal mandate and include indemnification provisions related to privacy violations.
Entity
United States Department of Agriculture
Also known as: USDA
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-takes-action-protect-sensitive-personal-information-tens
state of california et al v united states department of agri
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-california-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture-complaint-2025.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 20 other states sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop its demand for personal information of SNAP recipients for immigration enforcement. The District Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking USDA's demand and preventing funding cuts, citing violations of laws protecting SNAP data confidentiality.
$17.1B
Attorney General James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general secured a landmark settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) worth up to $17.1 billion to address the company's harmful and addictive features targeting minors on Facebook and Instagram. The settlement requires Meta to implement significant changes, including age verification, time limits for minors, restrictions on notifications, and options to opt out of algorithmic feeds, along with monetary payments to states for mental health and education programs.
$3.3M
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a multistate settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for illegally coordinating to influence a daily price index for eggs, artificially inflating prices for retailers and consumers nationwide. The companies will deliver 53 million eggs to food banks across 17 participating states, pay a combined $3.3 million, and adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations.
$2.0M
New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with four other states and the FTC, settled with Zillow and Redfin after they entered an illegal agreement to stop competing in the multifamily rental advertising market. Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its advertising business and exclusively display Zillow's listings. The settlement requires the companies to resume competing and pay $2 million.
$400K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $400,000 from Thirty Madison, Inc., an online medication provider, for misleading consumers about auto-renewing subscriptions and making cancellation difficult. The company failed to clearly disclose subscription terms and non-refundable fees, and required multiple steps to cancel. The settlement requires payment, refunds to eligible subscribers, and changes to subscription practices.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general plus Pennsylvania secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from seizing the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of 17 million commercial drivers nationwide, including nearly 500,000 New Yorkers. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the TRO, preventing the federal government from accessing the data or cutting off access to the critical database.